Sands of Egypt
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: AtemuxAnzuxMalik. A noblewoman of Egypt and an expert thief that abandoned the life of nobility. Two people that had dreams and only one that carried it out. Egypt is in danger and they are only two people who can face the creature that threatens Egypt. Nobles, commoners, and thieves alike must work together to face the evil that is trying to corrupt Egypt...
1. Chapter One

DIS: Guess who's baaaack? :P

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_Title: Sands of Egypt_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance/Adventure_

_Summary: AtemuxAnzuxMalik. A noblewoman of Egypt and an expert thief that abandoned the life of nobility. Two people that had dreams and only one that carried it out. Egypt is in danger and they are only two people who can face the creature that threatens Egypt. Nobles, commoners, and thieves alike must work together to face the evil that is trying to corrupt Egypt and bring the new Pharaoh crashing from its throne, dead rather than alive._

_Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, but I imagine the plot, ideas, etc. are mine._

_Notes/Warnings: Set in ancient Egypt; AtemuxAnzuxMalik; trustshipping; apprenticeshipping; second __**chaptered**__ ancient Egypt fanfic_

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_Sands of Egypt_

_Prologue_

Above the long plains of sand was the goddess, Nut, stretching beyond the horizon and protecting the world with her starry, dark azure body. It was the time when all the people of the ancient world rested their weary limbs after a long day of work. It was at this time that people settled their bodies into bed and closed their eyes to allow their goddess to watch over them during the evening. But all over Egypt there were persons who were still quite awake. In a dark house were two men that were gliding from room to room. One man paused near a window and peered outside. The moon shone overhead, lighting his handsome face. "Bakura," he murmured to his companion. When he only heard the light footsteps of his companion and the occasional rummage of his rucksack, he hissed, "Bakura!" There was an irritated grunt, but nothing more. The man turned from the window at last, scowling.

"If I hear you say my name one more time, I'm slitting your throat, Malik," the male rumbled as he drew away from a wooden sculpture that he had apparently determined was either too heavy or not important enough. He adjusted the bag he was carrying and squinted at Malik, whose features were hard to make out with the moonlight outlining his tall figure.

"We're almost out of time. The nobles are beginning to return from the palace." He paused, peering up the street. He slid back so that he was concealed in shadow and frowned. "It doesn't appear that there are as many people leaving as usual." Bakura snorted and then hastened away, likely to make one round of the house before leaving. Malik watched for a moment longer and then followed Bakura, picking up his bag and hurrying through the house, his eyes flicking over each item and after dismissing all, he exited the house where Bakura was waiting for him, on his horse. Malik secured his baggage to his own horse and then hopped on. "We'll have to hurry if we want to make it out of here before the nobles see us. I don't particularly want to be running from the Pharaoh's guards tonight."

"Oh?" Bakura had been gazing up at the gleaming palace and glanced at him when he spoke. "You don't?" He turned his gaze back to the palace, pulling his horse to the side and lowering his voice. "We could raid the palace tonight. In and out, a short little raid, enough to get good gold."

"No," Malik flatly said. Bakura's face darkened irritably. "There are nobles still at the palace, along with the priests, I would bet. There is clearly something happening there tonight that we won't want to get involved in."

"Which makes it the perfect opportunity! They'll be too occupied with brooding and their shit, so we might as well go in, get what we can, and by the time we get back to Kul Elna, we'll be happy, tired, souls."

"They don't get distracted with the additional things that they have to do, you fool," he snidely returned. "They become more focused. I would know their types of personalities. I'm related to one, if you recall." Bakura's lip curled in a sneer and he likely had a nasty retort for that piece of information, but he seemed to gain hold of his wits and just sulkily pulled his horse away from the path that would have led to the palace. Malik followed him, urging his horse into a light canter, but not before directing a last, lingering look upon the palace and it's tall, glowing structure. It filled him with disgust and the same hunger that Bakura had – to raid it of all its wealth and the life that existed within.

In another part of the city, a slim figure is slipping into the inner city limits. The gate, having been left open for their convenience, was unprotected by any guard. The figure pulled their cloak around their face more firmly, glancing around apprehensively and then continuing forward. They hurried through the streets and when hearing the trot of horse hooves, darted inside a doorway. Unbeknownst to them, two thieves were seated upon the horses that passed them. Selfishly, they were only concerned for their own well-being. Once the sound of the horses had faded, the figure hastened away from the doorway and winded their way through the streets and stopped at a home that was lavish, much like the surrounding area. After a pause, they slipped into the house and ascended the staircase to the top floor, where they lit a candle. The cloak was thrown on the bed and the woman who had been concealed within it sighed, settling upon the bed as she lit another candle.

Anzu peered into her mirror, inspecting her image carefully. In spite of being a nobleman's daughter, she had never been fond of the life and had taken every chance possible to avoid the inner city, where the nobles were located. The priests' homes and many of the more extravagant temples were located in the inner city. The guards' homes, the noblemens', and the palace were all located in the inner city. Those who were not of noble blood and were poor lived in the outer city limits, along with the slaves and many of the markets. Ever since she had been a kid, she had slipped in and out of the inner city as many times as she could. She had been caught once and had cried, screaming to her father as he whipped her that she had not known it was not allowed. He forgave her and although he watched her, Anzu simply became more stealthy.

She sighed, stripping off the clothing that she had worn for her trip to the outer city. She wore clothes of the lower classes so that she would not be suspected of being a noble. Even though she had happened upon many of the places several times as a child and many people in the markets knew her, she would be ostracized if she were ever to be found out as a noble. The only two that knew were her two best friends, Jounouchi and Shizuka. They had good hearts and she always helped them when she could, giving them a little bit of money here and there, but not enough that her parents would grow suspicious as to where her money was disappearing.

_It's hard to get out now, _she thought, stashing her clothing away and hastily washing away the dirt from her body from the water basin in the corner. Satisfied with her cleanliness, she pulled on a clean gown to wear to bed and blew out the candles. The moon shone in the room, the light spilling and casting shadows throughout her room from the balcony. She sat on her bed, staring out at the bright buildings of her city. _Mother has been constantly trying to get me married and I never have any time with how she is always dragging me along to meet this man or this man. I'm thankful that I wasn't forced to go to court with them tonight. _She sighed yet again, closing her eyes as a warm breeze blew in, passing through the thin clothing and drying the sparse bit of sweat on her skin. She lied down and felt the long day catching up to her, drawing her into a comfortable, restful sleep.

Meanwhile, however, the palace was awake with tension. Malik had been correct in telling his friend to avoid the palace that night, as the occupants were more wary than usual. The throne room was silent, the priests situated in front of the Pharaoh Atemu. Anzu's father, Hepshut, was the pharaoh's scribe and had been invited for dinner that night. The other nobles had been dismissed, but he had been asked to remain at the palace, along with his wife, Mara. The throne room was bright, the torches upon the wall lighting up every crevice. After a pause, Atemu sighed and rose from the throne, stepping down. His advisor, Siamun Muran, tilted his head slightly, watching him curiously.

"This is a grave matter indeed," the pharaoh said at last.

"The Sennen Tauk has never been clouded in the way that it has been lately," the priestess, Isis, told him, reaching up to touch the golden necklace encircling her neck. There were seven Sennen Items, six of them belonging to the high priests and one belonging to the Pharaoh. Atemu's father, Akhenamkhanen, had created the Sennen Items in a time of war so that Egypt would be protected from her enemies. However, it had taken a great sacrifice of souls for the Sennen Items to be created.

"Each of us have felt a great disturbance, my pharaoh," Mahado murmured from her side, inclining his head respectfully. "It feels as if a dark power is emerging...it is disconcerting, especially if Isis cannot determine what is to happen through the Sennen Tauk..." He glanced at Isis through the corner of his eye.

"And what of the other items?" Atemu queried, crossing his arms over his chest. "I, too, have felt an approaching evil...yet my puzzle has not reacted in any way other than ordinary. Has anyone else's Sennen Item reacted unusually?" He turned to the remaining priests. Kalim, Akhenaden, Seto, and Shadii each looked at him respectfully.

"When initiating our judgment, I have felt no disturbance in the Sennen Key," Shadii said at last, glancing at the remaining priests, specifically towards Kalim, who was the holder of the Sennen Scales. Atemu, too, turned his gaze upon Kalim.

"The scales have been acting rather odd, my pharaoh," Kalim admitted. Holding the scales in his hand, he passed a hand over them and continued, "They have been acting rather erratic...along with Mahado's Sennen Ring."

"I do not deny it," Mahado said mildly, as if he had been accused. "It has been acting very strangely. I cannot detect each evil in every soul, after all." Atemu nodded and then turned and sat upon the throne again, his brow furrowed in worry.

"The Sennen Items work in mysterious ways," Akhenaden quietly said to the room. "While they work in the ways that we have meant for them, we cannot be sure that they will remain constant given their means of coming into being."

"The Sennen Items are items of good, not evil, Akhenaden," Mahado responded in a firm, yet respectful voice. "If your belief in their usefulness is waning, then perhaps you ought not to remain in possession of one..."

"Enough," Atemu interrupted, raising a hand to silence them. "While I understand your aversion to the idea, Mahado, I should remind you that Akhenaden has made a valid point. The items were made from a dark act, an act of massive destruction and death. If we forget the souls that were sacrificed in order for these items to be made into being, we forget ourselves." He paused a moment and then considered each of his priests solemnly. His eyes fell on Seto, who did not appear particularly interested in the conversation. "What do you think, Seto?" he queried at last, settling into his throne and smiling mildly at the male. He and Seto had grown up together and while he was obligated to respect the Pharaoh, the two of them became involved in more than their fair share of disagreements. In some ways, they were both hotheaded when it came to each other. While in the company of others, however, they maintained a calm façade.

"I feel that this is out of our control for the time being," Seto told him mildly. "Whatever this power is, we cannot know for certain what is causing it until there are larger indications than simply our own instincts and how the items are acting. I do not mean to dismiss any worries that you and any others have presented, pharaoh, but what can we do based on these small worries of ours?"

"And has your Rod not acted out of turn, then, Seto?" Kalim asked with a haughty expression.

"Whatever strange things that my Rod may have detected is no large concern of mine," Seto dismissed, not bothering to look at Kalim, his arms folded, his Sennen Rod in hand. "It often acts out of turn due to the shift in energies. If, in fact, there appears to be a problem, then I would assume it has something to do with that rather than a massive power clouding Egypt. Until further proof has been delivered, I see no reason to pay too much attention except to remain cautious."

"Remain cautious! What type of advice is that for a high priest to give?" Kalim demanded. "The scales are out of balance – _Egypt_ is out of balance!"

"And what proof do you have other than that?" Seto asked coolly. "A drought? Minds turning towards violence? Livestock, crops dying? No...we merely have our instincts and our Sennen Items not acting as they generally have. Remember, the Sennen Items have not always been used for good. They were once used as weapons. And they were created by death, as Akhenaden has said. Whatever disturbances that have been caused are ones that have not presented themselves to us. We can only wait."

"This is madness!" Kalim cried, shaking his head. "You wish to wait for terrible events to happen before acting?"

"How can we defend ourselves against an enemy we cannot see?" was Seto's quick retort. To this, Kalim fell silent.

"Seto has made a good point, my pharaoh," Siamun Muran admitted. "There is nothing we can do in our current position."

"Agreed," Atemu murmured, inclining his head. "With that said, I think perhaps it is best that we end this conversation. I would not like it to get out of hand. While I do not wish for us to wait for a mass disaster as the ones that Seto has described, I do suggest that we watch the city and surrounding villages to note if anything extraordinary occurs. Also, please be aware of the Sennen Items and how they are acting. Especially you, Seto." Atemu smiled. "Given that it acts rather erratic on normal occasions."

Seto's mouth curled the slightest bit and he gave a small bow. To the others, it was a mere formality. To them, it was subtle challenge made by one to the other.

With the closing of the discussion, the priests and Hepshut and his wife prepared to leave, giving their respects to the Pharaoh before leaving the throne room.

Later that night, Mahado lie awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. The young woman curled against him was his apprentice magician, Mana. Her eyes were turned towards him, her hand idly stroking his long, dark hair. He knew that she could sense his distress and wished that she was not so connected to him. As his apprentice, however, it was almost a requirement for her to be such. "Mahado?" she said in a soft whisper. He shifted his eyes to her, turning slightly so that he could cup her face and kiss her forehead gently. "I know that the Pharaoh and Seto believe that there is nothing to worry about yet, but...what do you think? Do you think something bad is going to happen from this?"

"Even if the Sennen Items are an item of death, they would not be acting in the manner that they have. We must be on our guard...and hope that whatever evil is approaching is one that we can face."

_Chapter One_

Anzu had woken early, due partly to the beginning sunlight streaming through her window, but also the voices of her parents downstairs. She sat in bed for sometime, listening to their argument. She was unsure of the exact context they were speaking about, except that they should be worried about something, although it appeared that they differed on that. At one point, her father said that they must simply trust the Pharaoh, to which her mother angrily retorted that there was only so much a pharaoh could for his people. Anzu suspected the sudden silence may have been because her father had taken the time to inflict some violence to quiet her mother's blasphemous mouth. While Anzu was unsure of what was happening downstairs, she knew well enough that she should not become involved. So, she remained upstairs until their argument had subsided somewhat. Only then did she dare to move downstairs, making just enough noise so that they need not awkwardly stop as soon as she entered the room. By the time she had arrived, they were silent and offered a cheerful greeting to her. Based on the redness on her mother's arms, Anzu's suspicions were confirmed.

"Did you have a good time last night?" Anzu questioned mildly, eating a date from a bowl that was on the table. There was a quick glance that her parents exchanged.

"Oh, yes," Mara helpfully said, as her husband has resolutely turned his attention from them completely. "I do wish you had come, Anzu. You know the Pharaoh hasn't seen you since you were so young. I do believe that he, too, was rather young at the time, wasn't he, Hepshut?"

"Yes," he said briefly. "He is only but 5 seasons older than Anzu, I believe."

"Very close to your age," Mara confirmed, nodding her head and smiling. "It is too bad that we are not royalty. It would make a fine match for you. I do not think that I have met a more respectable man. Truly, the pharaoh is to be cherished for all time...he is thoughtful of all of his subjects, kind to his priests, knowledgeable, and of course handsome. Nobody could say otherwise of the Pharaoh Atemu."

Anzu ignored this, while at the same time thinking it rather ironic that her mother was saying such things only a small bit of time after she had been speaking poorly of the pharaoh and his judgment. Clearly her father felt the same, because Hepshut snorted, which caused him to receive a glare from her mother.

"In any case, I have managed to find somebody that is interested in meeting you, Anzu."

"Oh, please not this again," Anzu said exasperatedly. "I'm not interested in marriage!"

"Every respectable woman ought to have been married a season ago. You are long overdue to be married!"

"You act as though I am old enough to have five children, the way you go on!"

"You could," her mother said peevishly. "And you know very well that I do not appreciate that type of attitude. Your father and I have a great relationship. Why would you not like something similar?" Anzu rolled her eyes at that, thinking of how her parents had been arguing only moments before. Perhaps her mother suspected such, as her cheeks became a rosy colour. She turned to her husband, as though asking him for help, but he merely grunted and pointedly ignored them, calling to one of the servants for a shave. As he exited the room, Mara drew herself up taller, as though to prove to her daughter that she was capable of handling the argument alone. Anzu merely raised her eyebrows at her, placing her hands on her hips with a raised eyebrow. "You cannot remain unmarried forever, Anzu. Your father and I expect you to take your rightful place in society, as a married woman with a family. You cannot expect us to care for you forever. That is not the way of things."

"And is it the way of things for women to constantly enslave themselves to bumbling idiots who know nothing of what they are doing? The men you introduce me to are far too young!"

"If you were not so old – "

"I am _not_ old!"

" – then you would have a man your age! The majority have already married and moved on to better things. What do you expect, men to wait? No, they also have obligations." Anzu released a sound of frustration and stormed past her mother to their door. "Where are you going?" Mara demanded, following her.

"Anywhere that I don't have to listen about marriage!" Anzu retorted, hastening into the busy street and running, not heeding her mother's calls. Mara stepped out into the street and then sighed, backing away from the moving carts and bustling Egyptians. She looked around, frowning, and then returned inside.

"Hepshut, what am I going to do with her?" she asked her husband, stepping outside on the terrace, where her husband was being shaved. "She will not listen to reason."

"Mara, you know how your daughter is. She is stubborn and strong-willed. It is unlikely that she would have a prosperous relationship if she married now, in any case."

"But she is losing her youth."

"The Pharaoh is unmarried, as you have mentioned, and yet he seems to be desired by everyone. Anzu will not lose her youth so easily. She has only experienced life for eighteen seasons. A few more without the worries of marriage would be good for her." Mara's brow wrinkled, but she fell silent with a soft sigh, folding her arms and staring out at the rising sun. She heard her husband murmur something to the servant and then he was beside her, wiping his face and neck with a damp towel. "Do not worry about her, Mara. Anzu is a good girl. Any man would love to take her as his husband and I am sure that she will soon see the good in such a man." He smiled to her and kissed her on the temple, running his hand down her back. "Now...I must leave to the palace. Please, leave Anzu alone about her marriage."

"I will," she said simply, although the thought of her daughter's unmarried status still troubled her.

When Hepshut arrived at the palace, he was preoccupied with his own thoughts about the night before, rather than the thought of his daughter and wife arguing about marriage. The entire conversation was disconcerting and he was afraid that if they continued to ignore the odd way in which the Sennen Items were behaving, his family would not even be able to argue about such things. Feeling a chill at this thought, he shook his head slightly and continued inside the palace. He paused, however, hearing angry voices from around a corner. They did not sound like soldiers, so he knew he would not be coming upon a needless argument. After a moment, he recognized the voices, one of which was Shadii's and the other being Mahado's.

"...cannot continue to treat her this way, Mahado!" Shadii was telling him in a stern tone.

"I am not treating her anyway, Shadii," Mahado's quiet voice returned. "I do care for her, I just think that perhaps her feelings are a bit deeper than mine..."

"And yet you continue to indulge in her body and treat her as though you _do _feel similarly. She is young, she may not be able to handle the strain of your rejection when it does come. If you knew anything, you would break this off immediately, even if it – " Shadii's voice broke off as Hepshut came around the corner. He smiled in greeting to the two priests, who murmured their greetings.

"I apologize for interrupting," Hepshut said kindly. "It seems you two were involved in a heated discussion. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," Mahado hastily assured him, in spite of Shadii's pointed look towards him, "it's fine, Hepshut, but I appreciate the gesture. Let us simply...walk. That discussion is going nowhere, anyway." He returned Shadii's look with his own and Hepshut, noticing both of their glances, merely ignored them, nodding agreeably. He was not all too inclined to become involved in the conversation, either, as he was not even sure of whom they were speaking.

As the three men walked through the palace, each were involved in their own personal thoughts. Hepshut took the time to enjoy the crisp air that meandered through the pillars. As he looked through the gaps the great stone structures allowed, he could see the sun god, Ra, rising, spreading his rays upon the city, touching the warm stone and giving the city a welcoming, golden appearance. When the sun crossed his face, he squinted slightly, but felt calmed by the feeling of the god touching his skin. It was both relaxing and reassuring. The worries that had been occupying his mind seemed to drift away and combined with the air that drifted in, balancing the temperature in the palace, Hepshut felt comfortable. However, regardless of how Hepshut was feeling, it was clear that the two priests were still occupied with their own thoughts.

"I cannot help but wonder," Mahado said in the silence, "if the Sennen Items would lead us astray." Shadii and Hepshut looked to him, each frowning in disapproval. "I know I accused of Akhenaden of poor judgment when he spoke of them this way last night, but it has remained in my mind, haunting me. If there were an evil approaching, is it possible that the souls within the Sennen Items may deny us?"

"We were not the makers of the Sennen Items," Shadii returned, "and I do not think that the souls would fault us for what had happened. The Items, for all purposes, are items of _good_, rather than of evil, although they were made of evil design..."

The men fell silent at this and then the subject turned to a less ominous one as they moved to the throne room. In the throne room, Atemu was seated with Siamun Muran, who stood next to his throne with a concerned expression. Atemu had his elbow propped against the arm of the throne, shading his eyes with his hand. He had slept poorly after the discussion with the high priests and he had been haunted with the thought of an impending doom that he could not foresee. Granted, other cultures had dealt with such things, but for as long as he could recall, Egypt had been protected by the foresight of the Sennen Items – particularly the Sennen Tauk – and with such a blessing, Egypt had been able to defend itself against any enemy. He feared that this enemy, unfortunately, was not human. He could not imagine that any human would be able to interfere in the Sennen Items as this force had done.

Raising his head, he touched his Sennen Puzzle, staring ahead of him at the long expanse of the room with an intent gaze. Even now, he could feel the unsettling feeling of something dark and evil penetrating his kingdom, yet the Sennen Item remained still without altering its power in any way. If only he knew better what could cause such disturbance amongst the Sennen Items; however, he and his high priests were only the second generation of users of the Sennen Items. His father, having created them, had been the first and Atemu felt that not even someone as wise as Akhenamkhanen could have known the type of dangers that the Sennen Items may have posed.

"My Pharaoh," Siamun Muran said gently, "I am sure that once we gather more information, we will be able to face this danger more readily. We can only be patient and hope for the best in these circumstances."

"But the best is not enough," Atemu told him grimly. "I know there is something out there, preying on us, and we cannot even see it or know what it is. It irks me to be put in this position of weakness...I grew up trusting the power of the Items and yet now we cannot use them the way in which they were designed. If it was a human enemy, then there would be no reason for their defect. There is something out there that I do not trust."

"There is nothing we can do, Pharaoh. Just as Seto said, we cannot chase after an invisible being. If we do not know our enemy, how are we to combat it? There is nothing we can do but be patient."

"Patience is a difficult task for a king," Atemu said softly, turning his eyes to the three men that had entered the throne room. "It is perhaps the most difficult of them all..."

Anzu rubbed her face and then glanced behind her, slipping from behind the building. Very carefully, she nudged the crate where she had hidden her clothing and then dashed away after determining that it was secure. She had become completely transformed, dressed in beggars clothing and with a face that had dirt smudged across it. She glanced around and then grinned, hurrying away from the neighborhood and running through the crowds, rudely shoving past a group of priests that yelled after her, "Reckless vagabond!" Ignoring them, she hurried to the tall, white-washed wall that was looming before her. She slowed as she came to the gates and gave an excited hop, stretching her arms and peering up at the sun that was boring down on her. She ran a hand through her hair and then dropped it, looking around curious. She followed the wall to one of the lesser used and more isolated gates. She approached the sentry, who turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"I see you've come to pay me a visit again, little one," he remarked, smiling slightly.

"Rishid, you haven't gotten in trouble, have you?"

"Of course not," he assured her and then took a step away from the gate he was protecting, pushing it open slightly and glanced away. "Don't linger too long. There are more palace men about." She nodded and hastened through the gate, whispering a quick thank you.

The gate shut behind her and she clapped her hands, snickering, before she fled from the gate down the road. Outside the inner city of the Pharaoh was where the poorer citizens lived. She scrambled down the pathway. It was clear that there was less care taken to this part of the capital city. The homes were less grand, made of what appeared to be dark mud and thrown together hastily. Unlike the angular, symmetrical, tall homes of the Egyptian aristocrats within the inner city, these were misshapen, rounded and small. As Anzu stepped down through the shops with people shouting out to others and waving at women who called out to Anzu cheerfully from within their homes, she felt her heart fill with happiness. Inside, she felt as though she were suffocating from all the expectations that her place in life had delivered to her; here, it was as if that life did not even exist.

"Anzu!" a girl called when Anzu came to her destination, a home that was smaller than others and was surrounded by a few farm animals. The girl rushed forward and hugged her. "I'm glad you're here. I was wondering whether you hadn't been able to get out today."

"Why wouldn't I?" The girl turned to her, appearing surprised. She was three years younger than Anzu and smaller, with long auburn hair and wide, brown eyes. Shizuka had met Anzu when they had been younger girls in the market place when Shizuka's parents had been alive. Her father had been a merchant and had been haggling with Anzu's slave about fabric for her new dress when Anzu had seen a pair of faces peering at her from around the stall. She had inched forward, introducing herself to Shizuka and her brother, Jounouchi, and from then on, Anzu insisted on shopping at the merchant's stall for all of her fabric so that she might see her new friends. Their way of life had been strange and unusual to her and while initially she had offended her new friends with her way of speaking, she soon adapted to their own way of life. When she had gotten older and their stall had disappeared, she had crept out of the city with a few good-natured compliments and treats to Rishid and learned of their parent's death.

Presently, however, Shizuka shook her head and said, "The security's been increased throughout the city, I've heard."

"Did the Tomb Robber and his partner get into the palace again?" Anzu asked, frowning.

"When you say it like that, it just sounds awful," Shizuka told her with a wry smile.

"What? It's not like it's my fault that they keep stealing from the palace," she grumbled, following Shizuka into their home. The two girls went to one of the straw mattresses and settled on it, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. "But really, Shizuka, is that why they've increased security or is it something else?" In spite of herself, Anzu recalled her parent's heated argument that morning. Her mind clouded over in worry, recalling her father's words about trusting the Pharaoh and wondered what had happened. She had only set eyes on the Pharaoh once and that had been when he had first taken the throne. He had a kind smile and she remembered the way in which he had bent his head to her father, speaking into his ear. Ever since the Pharaoh Atemu had come to the throne, her father had only spoken of him in reverence. Anzu trusted her father's judgment, but wondered what they were keeping from the common people.

"No one's sure why," Shizuka admitted, drawing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She rested her chin on her knees, sighing. "But I don't like it. Jounouchi went out to see if he could get any other information – you know how he is about gossip like this. But I'm worried. There's even been men from the palace down here, patrolling. Many of those who have been hiding down here because they've been caught stealing have already been taken up. They must be looking for something. I don't think it's the Thief King this time, though..."

"No, he's been taunting the palace guards for so long that I doubt it could be him. But it's strange that they're keeping it quiet. Wouldn't they want the people to help them?"

Shizuka shook her head. "Not if they don't even know what they're looking for...But enough about that! You got home safe?"

"Yes, of course I did," Anzu assured her, smiling, glad for the change in the subject. She did not want to envision a hidden enemy. "But mother went on about marriage again today." She heaved an angry sigh and rose to her feet, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the wall for a moment. "I mean, she keeps throwing these little boys at me and says that _I_ am old, so it's _my_ fault. Well, thank you very much, but I didn't ask to get old this fast!" Shizuka giggled. "It's not funny! I mean...I have to listen to this every day." Anzu had whipped around to look at her and then dropped her hands to her side, a saddened expression crossing her face.

"What about one of the Pharaoh's priests?" Shizuka suggested. "They're older _and_ they are wealthy. Your life would be set. And...especially...that is to say, the high priest, Seto, is attractive." She blushed furiously, ducking and hiding her face behind her knees, only her eyes peeking out from above her knees. "He's not wedded to anyone and I'm sure he'd make an a-able husband..."

Amused by Shizuka's modesty, Anzu simply said, "My father might have connections to them, but there's no way that he would help my mother make that type of match and I'm not sure she has the audacity to suggest something like that yet. I'm not so sure I would want to get involved in the politics of that kind of match, anyway." _And besides that, _Anzu added silently to herself, moving to the doorway and leaning against it, crossing her arms, _Seto is seeing the high priestess, Isis, in secret. My father sees more than they think they do and he let it slip in front of me. He trusts me not to say anything like that though and I wouldn't want to hurt Shizuka's feelings, either, since she has a crush on him. _A palace soldier walked past, glancing at Anzu, his eyes skimming over without any recognition. A corner of her mouth tilted upward as she turned away and returned to her friend. _I don't know why, out of all the men in Egypt, she admires an egotistical high priest._

"You're going to have to choose eventually, Anzu," Shizuka told her, her face now raised above her knees again. Anzu glanced at her and then sighed, a sad look crossing her face.

"I just wish it didn't have to be a nobleman...I want nothing to do with those people."

X

Isis stepped out of the temple, standing on the balcony, a long sheet of papyrus in her hands. She was wearing a light dress and golden jewelry around her arms and wrists, but her headdress was absent. She sighed and leaned against the stone railing, clutching onto the papyrus as she stared out at the city below her. The other temples loomed beside her, the figures of the gods standing tall and regal beside their respective temple. Along the stone walkways below, she could see priests and priestesses in headdresses rushing to and from amongst the sparse bit of green. The sun cast a long shadow upon the dry land and beat upon Isis's dark skin, warming it. Far along were the walls of the palace and above the walls, she could see the palace standing tall, its many pillars and ancient stone figures staring down at the city. She was oblivious to the scenery, however, her mind occupied by the hieroglyphs that were set upon the papyrus.

"I know that this was Malik's doing," she said at last to the still figure that was sitting inside, drinking from a goblet. Seto glanced to her slender frame outside and then released a small breath of air through his nose, setting his goblet aside and rising to his feet, joining her on the balcony. "Him and Bakura were right in this city on a raid and we had no way of knowing it, being preoccupied."

"And what would you have done had you met him?" Seto asked calmly. "Berated him? Asked him to return to the ways of the gods? Your brother doesn't want instruction, Isis."

"I know this," she murmured and then looked down at the papyrus, running her fingers down it. She sighed and then rolled it up, retying it. "I'm frightened, Seto. With the Sennen Tauk acting so strangely, I know that something terrible is going to happen. Every moment, I feel more tense, as if at any second something could strike and completely kill me. I would prefer that my family was close to me during this time. I have to find Malik and talk to him, to tell him – " 

"Are you mad?" Seto snapped. "What good will that do? Your brother doesn't care about what happens to anyone but him and he certainly isn't going to care what happens to you if Egypt goes to war with someone – or something. Seeing him will do you no good. _If_ we see him, then he should be put to death immediately for crimes against the Pharaoh." Isis fell silent, her expression downcast, but he could sense her displeasure with him. He drew in a deep, calming breath and then rested his hands upon her shoulders. "Isis, seeing him will not make you feel any better. He'll turn from you and go back into the desert. Or, if he does stay, it will be for his and Bakura's own gain, not because he wants to be near."

She raised her eyes and shrugged from his grip, her face set to an angry mask. She stalked away from him, tossing the papyrus to her desk. He raised his hands and then dropped them, following her silently. She had gathered her headdress and after he had taken his own, he followed her out of her chambers and eventually out of the temple. He tried once again to touch her, but she brusquely shoved him away, stomping towards her chariot that was waiting her. Seto's eyes clouded in anger at her attitude and he took his own chariot.

He understood that Isis was concerned for her brother, but anytime the two of them met, she would end the night by weeping in Seto's arms because of Malik's harsh words. Malik had reluctantly undergone the training of a priest and knew far more of the rituals and teachings than any other men who were not in the priesthood. It had been a terrible blow for Isis to watch her brother fall into a disreputable position and turn completely from not only the gods, but his family, his city, and the Pharaoh. When he had met Bakura, no one was sure, but Isis blamed the thief entirely for her brother's fall and because of that, she never gave up on Malik. Seto was still awaiting the day when she admitted that it was because of her own brother's weakness that he had become a thief rather than following the respectable path that their family had set for him. When she did, he would finally cease this battle with her when it came to Malik and she could finally accept that Malik was no longer the boy that she had grown up teaching in the absence of their parents.

Moody and disgruntled, the two of them arrived at the meeting. Atemu, noticing their demeanor, quietly asked, "Is anything wrong?"

Isis shot a warning glare towards Seto, who bristled at the expression. "No, we simply found out about a raid that Bakura performed last night."

The others glanced at Isis, as everyone knew very well that is was her brother who was partners with the Thief King; however, Atemu merely inclined his head at this mention, having more tact than the other high priests.

"Understandable," he murmured, smiling reassuringly at Isis. His smile did nothing to quell the anger that Seto had inspired in the Egyptian woman, though and, as the meeting continued, there was a dark tension that emanated from the couple.

_TBC_

X

DIS: A couple things that I'd like to say. First, this first chapter and the first part of the second chapter were written several years ago, so the writing style may change from now to the next chapter. Second, I'm popping this up here to get some feedback because I'm nearly finished with chapter six right now and am realizing that I really need some feedback to see if people will like how I'm constructing the plot/chapters. I wasn't going to post it until I had at least 12 chapters written up, but with the pace I'm going at, I'm not too concerned by that. :) Please leave a review letting me know how you like it, if you'd like to see me change the writing style any way. Cheers!


	2. Chapter Two

_Chapter Two_

Bakura slipped off his horse, ruffling the head of a small child that had dashed up to him in glee when they had entered the village. His eyes clouded with an unknown thought as he glanced around the people that were mulling around in the village. Kul Elna was but a shadow of what it had once been, the people haggard and struggling to survive in the harsh conditions of the desert. It was mostly women and children and elderly men. There were deceitful merchants that would creep into the village every few days to exchange the expensive items that Malik and Bakura stole for food and other supplies. The handful of younger men handled these transactions, as neither Malik nor Bakura wished for their whereabouts to be known.

He turned his eyes away from the weathered faces and looked down at the small child. It was a little boy and he beamed up at Bakura, his face filthy and his clothes ragged. With a tilt of his mouth, he ran his hand over the boy's face and then shooed him away, waving a hand. Squealing, the boy ran back to his friends. All the kids hunched in a group, murmuring, peering over at the two thieves. Bakura chuckled, turning away and unloading the bags from the horse. They kept to themselves for the most part, rarely speaking to the others in the village. Bakura was more popular amongst those in Kul Elna, as many of the elderly knew him from when he had been a small child in the original village. Those that had escaped the massacre that had been performed in the village many years ago had returned sometime after, trying to rebuild the village. It was never as prosperous and depended entirely on Bakura and Malik's loot. Slowly, the village was becoming more independent, but its reputation as a village of thieves slowed its progress.

Bakura glanced at Malik, who had been strangely quiet throughout the ride to the village. Unlike Bakura's own weathered face that already had fine lines from the harsh desert winds and sands, Malik's face was smooth and youthful and it often served as a reminder to Bakura that his companion was younger than him, even though Malik was usually the one rationalizing one situation or another. He could tell that Malik was deep in thought, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. When he raised his eyes to Bakura, he merely nodded and took his bags. Two men came forward and took their horses while the two men moved into the village to their home. Once they were inside, Bakura asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

"Not now," Malik replied tersely. Bakura nodded, but appeared puzzled by his behavior. After they had safely hid the bags beneath their home, securing the underground tunnel and tossing the rug over it, Malik settled in a chair and ran his hands through his hair, tearing off the turban he had tied around his head and face to protect his face. He dragged his fingers through his thick, white blonde hair and then said, "Something's wrong."

"With the gold?" Bakura asked, frowning.

"No, just in general. This was too easy, don't you think? There wasn't a guard anywhere in sight there and everything was so still and quiet...what could they have been talking about in the palace, do you think?" Malik leaned back in the chair, rubbing his head absent-mindedly. It was in moments like this that he regretted leaving his position in the Egyptian aristocracy. As a priest, he would have been privy to more information than ordinary person in Egypt ought to have had and when it came to a high priest's brother, the information he could gain was infinite. Now, however, he had to rely on his skills to gain any information; that, and a loose tongue from those around him. Usually, Malik would not be too concerned with the things that happened in Egypt, as it rarely involved him, but he felt ill at ease. He had no real explanation for his feelings, but he was wise enough to heed them and consider upon the feeling rather than ignore it.

"If we had raided it like I said," Bakura pointedly said, "we might have known what they were talking about." Malik scowled at him. "Just food for thought." Bakura smirked back at him, unbothered by the latter male's temper. He was far too accustomed to getting a rise out of him to be bothered by a mere scowl of Malik's.

"Clever, real clever." Malik released a breath, folding his arms and staring across him at the dirty floor.

"There's no use thinking about it," Bakura told him dismissively, moving towards the adjoining room to retrieve some food. "If we notice any changes in the city the next time we go, we can investigate, but I'm not going to cross the desert again just to poke around and find out what that jackass Pharaoh and his priests were talking about. I'd much prefer to stay here and get some rest already. I'm starving and I need to sleep."

"Alright, fine, stop your complaining already. Dear Ra!"

Hearing Bakura rummage around for food, Malik stood up and ran a hand over his tired face and then stepped towards the door, leaning against the frame and resting a hand on one of his hips. He watched as children ran carelessly across the village, shrieking and kicking up sand and dust as they did. A corner of his mouth tilted up at their cheerful laughter and he shaded his eyes, watching as one of the kids tackled another and the two went rolling around. He turned his gaze to the group of women that were watching the children from the shade. His eyes met another pair and the woman smiled as they locked eyes. In spite of himself, he smiled encouragingly before dropping his hand and looking away, stepping out of the small home and peering around it, where he could see sand dunes looming near the village.

Not for the first time, Malik reflected on his new life. It was far different from the one he had once led. His face darkened as he remembered the many grueling nights that he would spend in the dark, carefully scribing hieroglyphs with nothing but a stub of a candle to work with in his room. He had been born into a life of luxury, of comfort and rest, yet once his father had been born a son, he watched over Malik carefully, often with his whip in hand in case of any mistake. He would accept nothing but perfection. His servant, a free Egyptian youth that had been honored with the invitation of servitude to the Ishtar family, would often kneel at his bed at night, massaging aching muscles or lathering ointment on the wounds from his father's whip. When Malik had become old enough, he learned to hate his life, his family, and most importantly, the society that he had been born in. He silently watched as their greed grew, as the religion became less devout and more corrupt and while he dutifully went through training to become a priest, he had no intention of becoming a priest, especially with the death of his father.

There were times that he regretted the way he treated Isis while he was still living with her. But, as soon as he experienced such regret, he was reminded of her detached expression when their father would beat him for any insolent words he spoke towards him. He remembered her soft words at night, "Please father and you wouldn't hurt so, brother. All he wants is to be pleased...don't disappoint him again." It was the first time he had felt anything akin to what he felt for his father for her. Enraged, he remembered sobbing and screaming in bed that night as his servant tried to calm him, desperate to make him happy.

Of all the things from his life, he missed his servant the most. After his father had left, Isis dismissed him and he became a sentry, just another tool for the Pharaoh. It paid well enough and Malik would often sneak down to see him, but it was difficult to be away from his only friend. However, Malik still saw him often. _If it wasn't for Rishid, _Malik thought, _Bakura and I would have had to shed much more blood on our raids. _His loyalty to Malik was admirable and he tried to return such loyalty in whichever ways he could, but he made certain that their actions could not be tracked back to Rishid. He would not allow Rishid to throw down his life for him, regardless of how loyal the man was to him.

_It's not a life I miss,_ Malik thought, turning away from the sandy landscape and casting one last look at the woman that had met his eyes. She was watching him and flashed another smile towards him. He chuckled, smirking and turning away from her, returning inside the home. _This is the life that was meant for me...not exactly respectable, but perfect in every way. _

"What are you smirking at?" Bakura asked around a mouthful of bread. He was lounging in one of the chairs, chomping on some dates and bread.

"I'll be going out tonight," Malik said instead.

"Figures. Which one of them is it this time?"

"You've been with every woman in the village, Bakura, and at least half of them in the city, so don't start that with me."

"I wouldn't dare," Bakura returned with a teasing glint in his eye.

Somewhere far from Kul Elna, a village nearer to the Pharaoh's city, an unsettling shadow drifts over the village in spite of the clear skies. All throughout the village, the animals became restless and as the shadow spread over the village, the animals began to shriek with fear. Many of the villagers, hearing the horrifying sound, scrambled out of their homes to investigate their animals. "What's the meaning of this?" one of the farmers asked, trying to get close to where the lambs were fenced off, but they only rammed themselves against the fence, shrieking.

"Yours, too?" a man asked, running up to the farmer, breathing a little hard from his exercise. "I came over to see if your were going mad, as well. Mine brought loose and fled, ran straight into the desert. Stupid beasts will die, my son's gone to try and capture them."

"Whoa!" the men backed away as the lambs began beating themselves against the fence and they stared in wonder, shaking their head. "They'll kill themselves at this rate..." There was a sudden scream from a group of people and both men froze, turning around. A woman came tearing up the path, her eyes wild. "What is – " The farmer stopped his speech as a hulking, dark shadow loomed up behind the woman. "By all the gods...," he whispered, and a moment later he and the other man screamed as their insides seem to light on fire, as if they were boiling within them. Their bodies fell to the ground, shuddering and convulsing, blood dripping from all of their orifices. The shadow barely paused as it swept past them to continue its destruction through the village.

X

"My Pharaoh, there's a peasant boy here to see you, he insists that it's urgent," a guard said, stepping inside the throne room briefly. Atemu looked up from the conversation his priests were having and frowned, his expression turning troubled. Nut had risen in the sky some time ago, it was rare for a villager to request an audience so late at night. Typically, he would have turned the villager away and had him come during regular audience times, but instinctively, he knew that whatever the villager had to say was something important. Straightening in his throne, he nodded and raised a hand.

"Show him in, then," he said.

There was a brief pause as the priests took their respective positions on either side of him and the guards showed the villager in. The boy could not have been much older than ten years, his face brown and appearing leathery with a speckled face that suggested he spent most of his time farming. However, there was a gray pallor to his face and his eyes were wide and bulging with what was unmistakably fear. The Pharaoh stiffened, feeling the terror radiate from the boy from across the throne room. The boy threw himself on the ground in an inelegant bow, gasping out, "Life to you, Pharaoh!"

"Rise, my child," Atemu said softly, leaning forward in his throne, his eyes narrowing on the boy's face. "The guard spoke to me of something urgent...and I imagine that you must have traveled a long distance. What has brought you to the palace on such short notice?" The boy's eyes darted to the priests uncomfortably and his eyes seemed to go even wider, if possible. "Calm yourself, child. If something has happened, my priests may be able to find the cause and ne able to help."

"It is too late for help," the boy said at last, his voice trembling. "My Pharaoh, there is something evil in this land! I beg of you, listen to my story..." Atemu felt as though cool water had been dumped on him as his body went cold at the boy's words. Instead of replying, he merely extended a hand, indicating to continue. Shaking, the boy told him, "Everyone in my village has been slaughtered. Our animals, our people, all in a moment. Earlier today, the animals suddenly became restless and started acting mad. My family's goats broke down the fencing and ran into the desert and my father sent me after them. I tried to catch them, but they were too fast. Even the camel I was on was restless and when I went back into the village, it nearly threw me off. But I didn't have to be there long. Blood drenched the street and there were bodies lying in it. As soon as I saw it, my camel turned back into the desert. Whatever had caused that destruction was still there, I could feel it. I knew that something evil was there." The boy shook his head, saying in a softer voice, "I had not been gone long...no human could have killed an entire village in that time."

It was a long time before Atemu stirred from his shocked thoughts. Seto turned slightly and hissed, "Pharaoh," knocking him back into reality. Shakily, he said, "Thank you, my child...You have been through a lot. I would request that you stay here in the palace for tonight. This horror you have described...I will not let it go unpunished. As Pharaoh, it is my duty to keep the lands of Egypt safe and I vow that no other village shall endure such a tragedy."

The boy nodded unsteadily, his haunted eyes dropping to the ground. Shadii escorted the boy out of the throne room and instructed some servants to take him up to a room and to help him be as comfortable as possible. When he returned, he joined the other priests around the Pharaoh. Atemu was sitting with his face in his hands and none of his priests, nor Siamun Muran, appeared inclined to disrupt him. After a long silence, Mahado quietly spoke up, "Pharaoh, please do not blame yourself for this incident. There was no way that we could have known this would happen."

"I know," Atemu said softly, raising his head and straightening in his throne. He looked tired and older than his twenty-three years, "but this confirms our fears. That boy was not lying, you could see in his eyes that he truly had witnessed what he spoke of. Isis, can you see anything with the Sennen Tauk?"

"I'm afraid not, my Pharaoh," she replied with a small shake of her head. "I had tried while the boy was speaking, but my vision is shrouded by something. All I can see is a thick mist. I cannot even see the past of this village..."

"What do you say to this new threat now, Seto?" Kalim asked the other priest directly, his eyes hard.

"As Mahado said, there was no way of us knowing that this would happen," Seto answered in a cold voice, turning his own cobalt gaze to the man. "If you believe that there could have somehow been a way to avoid this, I would like to know what your solution might have been. Our information is still lacking. The best that we can do at this time is let the boy indicate where the village is on the map, if he can even do that. If not, we'll have to have him lead us to the village to investigate."

"And if that evil is still there?"

"Then we will face it. We will eventually need to face it and without better knowledge, there's no way of us being able to draw a protective plan against this enemy."

"You expect us to simply throw caution to the wind – "

"Silence, both of you," Atemu cut in a bit sharply. Kalim fell silent, sending a dark look towards Seto. "While I agree with you, Seto, I also believe that we need to prepare some safety measures to ensure that no harm befalls any of us while investigating the village. Mahado, I expect there are some basic enchantments and potions that you can prepare for this journey?"

"Of course, my Pharaoh," Mahado said, bowing to him respectfully. "My apprentice and I will be able to have them finished in good time."

"Thank you." Atemu paused and leaned back in his throne, surveying his group of priests. Already he could feel the evil lurking in his palace walls, throwing his people into dissent. Carefully, he said, "I would like to remind each of you that as of yet, it doesn't appear that this enemy has a true form. It can kill like a human or beast, but it doesn't sound as if it is truly a _person_. It would do well to remember that this enemy, whatever it is, only means to cause strife between friends, to create discord in Egypt." He raised his hands to clasp them loosely and pinned them each with a meaningful stare. "Whatever happens, do not forget yourself in this conflict and keep your heart balanced otherwise there is no way for us to conquer this evil. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Pharaoh," they all intoned.

"Very well. Go, now, and rest your anxious minds and prepare yourselves as well as you may." They left the throne room, Kalim looking particularly abashed. Atemu watched them for a long moment before releasing a long sigh, closing his eyes.

"Those were wise words to tell them, my king," Siamun Muran said once all the priests had left. Atemu opened his eyes and looked to him. "The high priests will need to remain close, to unite the power of the Sennen Items."

"It's not only my high priests that I'm concerned about, although they are my primary concern," Atemu said slowly. "Seto and Isis's relationship relies on them both avoiding arguments, although it seems they have reconciled. And Mahado, as dear of a friend as he is, is not acting as intelligently in his own relationship as he might in other matters. If Mana becomes upset, they will be unable to work together and we need their strength and expertise."

"I wasn't aware that you knew of these relationships...," Siamun Muran said with a slight rise to his eyebrows.

Atemu smiled. "There is not much that escapes me. Even without the Sennen Puzzle, I'm more perceptive than usual. Even though I am unmarried, I am more adept at these matters than either Seto or Mahado are. I would never presume to give them advice, however, as I know that they are too stubborn of men to listen to anyone regarding their issues with women. Seto could be a little less vicious when discussing Malik to Isis, though."

"He is loyal to you, my king, even if you two tend to, ah...well..."

"At least we don't try to kill each other like we did when we were children," Atemu intercepted mildly. "In our worst fight, he broke my arm and I stabbed him in the thigh. I believe that was when we came to a truce."

"Nothing like a little maiming to conclude a bitter rivalry," his advisor said mildly. Atemu chuckled and rose from his throne.

"Which is how I know that Seto will always remain loyal to me," he answered. "Malik's thievery is an act against me, but he is still Isis's brother and Seto needs to remember that family love will often override one's sense of justice. She would never throw him to the guards or take him, and I know this well, and if I were in her position, I would do the same." He sighed. "Excuse me, I think I'll take a moment in the gardens to clear your head." Siamun Muran merely inclined his head and Yami left the throne room, exiting out to the gardens from the balcony, stepping down the stairs. These were the private gardens, entry to given only to him and his close courtiers and priests. The smell of lotuses was fragrant and hung thick in the air. As he passed a bench, a slim body popped out of the pot that was sitting next to the bench and he paused in his steps, recognizing the girl that tumbled to the ground, rolling once before springing to her feet.

"Did I surprise you?" Mana asked with a bright smile.

Chuckling, Atemu replied, "I'm a little too used to your tricks, Mana, to be surprise anymore."

"I'll have to devise something new, then," was her firm reply. Her smile faltered upon seeing the shadows in his eyes and she reached out, touching his hand. "Is everything well, Atemu? Did something happen?"

"Walk with me a moment, Mana, if you don't mind."

"Of course not!" She fell into step beside him, looping her arm around his and clasping his hand in hers. Mana had been Atemu's friend since he was a very young boy. Her father had been the court scribe and had been training to become the court magician, but had little talent for it. Mana had learned from her father the bit of magic that he could do and was far more able in it and when he realized her skill, he had determined that she would train when she came of age. Until that time, she often spent time with Atemu and her first time meeting him she had been in a pot and had popped up, yelling, startling the prince into screaming. Mana was the carefree spirit in Atemu's life, cartwheeling through the courtyard and urging him to play pranks on the guards, teaching him how to weave lotus necklaces. Mahado, older than Atemu, had been the voice of reason in his childhood. He was the court magician's son and it had always been planned that he could become the court magician when Atemu became Pharaoh. In the past, Mana had always butted heads with Mahado, disliking his serious attitude, but when they grew older, Atemu could see the attraction blossoming between the two and knew it to be inevitable that they would begin to court. When Mana was accepted as his apprentice, Atemu knew almost immediately when they became lovers, even though they were quite careful, as it was strictly forbidden.

"An entire village was destroyed today due to my carelessness," Atemu told her after some walking. "Whatever it is that is lurking in Egypt, it intends to kill and it has already begun. Seto feels that there is little to do as of yet, given our lack of information, but I cannot stand by idly and watch my people die."

"I know how you feel, Atemu," Mana said softly, squeezing his hand and stopping him. Her wide eyes turned up to him in pleading concern. "Promise me you won't do anything rash on your own. I know that you fear that your people are in danger, but I couldn't bear it if I lost my best friend. Seto is right, there's nothing we can do until we know more."

"I promise," he said, smiling slightly, "but I have to act somehow. It won't stop at just villages. Whatever this thing is, it means to threaten us." He touched his Sennen Puzzle, his face grim. "My only fear is that the Sennen Items will be unable to protect us, with the way they are acting now."

"Their behavior doesn't necessarily mean that they can't protect you, but that maybe whatever this is might be interfering with their magic. Which, if that's the case, then you need me and Mahado more than ever."

"I know...which is why, no matter what, I need you two to work together." Mana turned her eyes away from him briefly, but returned her gaze and nodded, smiling. "Mana...might I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"I know that you and Mahado are...close...," he sent her a meaningful look, "but has he ever – "

"No," she interrupted before he could continue, "and I know that he doesn't love me." Her smile was a little sad. "I love Mahado, more than I've loved any person in my life. When I think of him, my entire body turns warm, my heart beats fast, and I feel like nothing in the world could go wrong. But...I know that he doesn't feel this way...and it hurts, a little, but so long as I can be near him and kiss him, and feel him in my arms, nothing else matters to me. If, someday, he finds someone he truly loves...then what else can I do? A small part of me keeps hoping that if I stay with him and love him and protect him, maybe he'll love me, too."

"And if that never happens, and he never finds someone else, are you simply going to stay with him?"

"When we were younger, I told myself there was no way I would settle for less than a real, loving relationship," Mana said quietly, "but I also said that I would hate Mahado for all eternity." She laughed. "Life isn't as simple as you think when you're a kid...No matter what, I'll always be there for Mahado, even if our entire life he doesn't love me and it's just convenient for him to have me there, I'll stay."

Atemu surveyed her closely. Mana had always been a girl of extremes and had always been appallingly honest, almost to a fault, and he knew that she was entirely serious. Any other person would berate her and call her ignorant, but Atemu merely pulled her into a hug, saying, "Then I wish you the best of luck, my friend."

"Thank you, Atemu," she said gratefully.

X

"I'd rather raid the palace than a village," Bakura was grumbling that night. The two had set out shortly before sundown in order to get a head start on their travel. They had unanimously picked a village on the map that was sure to have a collection of food for Kul Elna's inhabitants, as it was primarily a farming community. They only had a handful of regular merchants that came to Kul Elna and their food supply was generally just enough to feed the entire village, so the two thieves often resorted to stealing from other villages in order satisfy the needs of their people. They both found that the villages set up in the desert didn't have enough to spare. While they were thieves, it was agreed by both that stealing everything from peasants was despicable and so they only took from the farming villages that could spare food and from the Pharaoh's city, where wealthy Egyptians lived lavishly. Most of the villages near the Pharaoh's city and along the Nile were those that had more of an abundance of food and so they targeted those, but made certain to never do that same village so as to allow it to recover from their raid.

"Would you get off it about the palace already?" Malik snapped irritably. "If I'd known you were going to be such a pest about it, I would've just let you go to the palace while I waited outside the city."

"You're just a wimp, Malik, you never want to take a little risk."

"I don't personally want to be seen by Isis's damned lover. The last time I ran into her and he found out, he sent a throng of guards on me and I about got killed. You would think he would be more lenient, but the man wants my blood spilled and my body quartered." As they approached the village, he pulled his turban from his face, reigning in his horse. The animal stirred restlessly, pawing at the sand. "That's odd."

"Are you sure this is the right village?" Bakura asked, coming up beside Malik, frowning. "It looks abandoned. I can't even hear any animals from here and there's not even any torches lit."

"I'm positive. We've stolen from this village a few times before, I remember the way here." He looked up at the stars and considered the constellations for a moment and then glanced at Bakura to see him down the same. "It's the right place."

"Yes...do you think that it's been abandoned since then?"

"I can't think of why it would be," Malik said. "Let's take a look. Might as well light a torch, it's clear that no one's there." As Bakura lit the torch, he ground his heel into the horse's flanks, snapping, "Would you be still, animal?" Bakura's own horse was restless, but was used to all kinds of dangerous situations, so it merely pawed at the ground anxiously, occasionally shaking its head as if something were buzzing in its ear.

"Let's go, then," Bakura said after the torch burned brightly. They urged their horses into a canter and when they came to the perimeter of the village, they both became uneasy at the utter silence. Bakura could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise and tightened his hold on the reins, his eyes darting around. And then, as they entered the village and moved in deeper, there was the stench of death that assaulted them. Malik pulled his turban over his face again while Bakura dismounted, drawing his torch down to see there were bodies littering the main path in the village and blood was still visible in the dirt from the assault. "This was recent...," Bakura said slowly, raising his torch and looking around. He could make out more bodies in the street.

"Extremely recent, by the smell and the freshness of the blood," Malik said. The horses were growing increasingly restless. "Should we see if – " He suddenly halted and froze. Bakura also stilled and then he pulled himself onto his horse as a sudden dark form loomed out from the other end of the village. The horses shrieked and nearly bucked the two thieves off. Without waiting a moment, they kicked their horses into action and the animals obligingly sprinted from the village, away from the shadow. They kicked up sand as the horses dashed at a remarkable. Malik and Bakura held on for dearly life and Bakura occasionally glanced behind them, but whatever had been in the village did not pursue them. It was some time before the horses slowed, breathing hard and flanked in sweat from the exertion. Neither Malik nor Bakura were comfortable with being out in the open, however, and urged their horses forward and only when they had arrived at Kul Elna did they let the beasts stop.

"Lord, your horses look as if a demon were after them!" the elderly man that kept watch at night at the stables said, staring at the horses in wonder.

"We pushed them a little hard," Bakura said shortly, not allowing the man any room for conversation. Once they gathered their things from the saddle bags, they left to their home and were silent as they light torches and candles, to let no inch of darkness in the small home. For a long time, they sat, saying nothing.

"What was that?" Malik finally ventured to ask, staring into the flames of the fire they had built. It was uncomfortably hot, but neither of them cared, so long as there was no darkness. The shadow had unnerved them both.

Bakura didn't immediately answer, lost in a memory of fire and darkness, before he had met Malik and turned away from the darkness, before he had decided to concentrate on rebuilding Kul Elna. He had been there when the Sennen Items were created, when he was just a boy. He knew what evil had created them and even then, he had not been as fearful as he had been in that village with Malik. "I don't know," he replied at last, "but I think we might know why the priests were so preoccupied that night. We need to go back into the city, Malik. Whatever was there...was unnatural. That could have been Kul Elna."

"Alright," Malik sighed, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Dear Ra, what I wouldn't give for a Sennen Item right now."

A grim smile tilted Bakura's mouth. "You and me both."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Thanks for the one person that reviewed and, for those that are silently following, don't be shy! I need some feedback, as it's been a long time since I've written an Ancient Egypt fic and I tend to get overzealous with my details and I don't want to bore anyone. With that said, please be sure to leave a review, cheers!


	3. Chapter Three

_Chapter Three_

When Anzu stepped down at dawn that morning, she knew that something terrible had happened. Her father had been called away late last night to meet Shadii at his temple and had arrived late that night. Anzu had been woken up by his arrival and had heard her parents briefly talk before they had gone to sleep. Neither her mother or her father were speaking that morning and the room was tense, as if they had just finished an argument, but she had not heard any raised voices that morning. _What's going on?_ she wondered, taking a cloth and filling it with dates, tying it.

"Are you going out this morning, Anzu?" her father asked, stirring from his troubled thoughts and attempting a smile. His false smile increased her suspicions and Anzu's eyes narrowed on him slightly, trying to discern what could possibly be the cause of all of this.

"I thought I might go and visit the temples and pay my respects," Anzu answered. "I'll eat these on the way." She lifted the tied cloth to indicate the dates. He nodded distractedly, mentioning that it would be wise in such times. Frowning, she left her home, surprised by how subdued her parents were, especially her mother. Mara was usually one for asking questions and insisting on more details than Anzu's simple reply. Anzu ate the date while she ventured up the street towards the temple of Ma'at, eating her dates absent-mindedly. After she had finished eating, she tucked the cloth in her sash around her dress and then entered the temple of Ma'at, kneeling at the great stone structure depicting the goddess, sending a prayer to the goddess. When she exited the temple, she saw the High Priestess, Isis, step into her chariot and it occurred to Anzu that most of the priests and priestesses would be meeting to confer that morning.

_Neither mother or father will ever tell me what's going on,_ she thought and with a determined step, she hurried away from the temple towards the palace. _If I can't find out from them, then the best way is to either listen to their conversation or find someone in the palace that knows and will be willing to tell me._ Her steps were brisk on the stone street and when she came to the palace entrance, she showed her wrist where a golden bracelet etched with hieroglyphs was hanging. Each person in court was given such a bracelet and were ordered to keep it on at all times to avoid thieves or peasants entering certain areas of the palace. As it was still early, the Pharaoh was not yet allowing audiences with the peasants, so Anzu would have been unable to be allowed in otherwise.

It had been years since Anzu had been at the palace. She repeatedly declined her parent's invitations to take her to court and while her mother fought bitterly with her at first, she had recently abandoned any attempts at arguments with her on the subject. When Anzu entered the palace, she looked around wonderingly. She had forgotten how beautiful the palace was, with its bright painted walls and pillars, the freshness and expansive interior. As she stepped past some pillars, she found herself standing in a courtyard where a lily pool was located. She saw a man standing near it and considered him thoughtfully. _Could this man possibly know anything?_ She hesitated briefly and then stepped down into the courtyard. The man seemed to hear her and turned around, appearing briefly surprised. "I wasn't aware anyone else enjoyed the air this early," he remarked with a soft smile. She noticed that there was a weariness in his eyes and that his smile did not quite reach his eyes.

"It is most refreshing," she told him with a smile. She felt that the man was somehow familiar, but she could not recall ever seeing him. He wore a light robe around him that shrouded everything but his hands, neck, and face. "I've always felt that being awake this early and outside is as if you are taking in Ra's love for Egypt and absorbing it into your soul." She laughed uncomfortably, realizing how personal of an admission it was. "But that is only my opinion."

"And a very honest one, it was," he said, his gaze turning curious. She felt his eyes skim over her questioningly and then he continued, "It is a healthy feeling to have. If only more were appreciative and aware of the ways in which the gods bless us each day, perhaps there would be less negative things in this world..." His mind seemed to go elsewhere and Anzu caught the worrisome expression that crossed his features.

"Forgive me, but you seem to be troubled particularly by something," she told him kindly. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

He considered her for a long moment and then smiled. "Would you mind taking a seat with me, my lovely guest?" Feeling her cheeks warm at the compliment, not unaffected by his own attractiveness, her smile turned a bit shy and she followed him to one of the stone benches near the pool. After sitting, he seemed to search for words and then said, "It might do me good to hear from an outside source. I feel that you are an honest soul, and perhaps different advice would do well to settle my mind."

"I will do my best to ease your conscience."

"That is a relief," he said with another smile and she noticed that it seemed to reach his eyes this time and they looked warm and welcoming. "There is a great deal of trouble in Egypt, I'm afraid...an entire farming village was killed by an unknown evil...something otherworldly. But I can feel that it means to strike at the hearts of the people before it attempts a true attack against the kingdom. With this attack, it means to spread fear and panic in the hearts of people and to separate the people of Egypt. But I wonder if it does not have other means of spreading unhappiness...some...unnatural, inhuman manner of doing it...At the present, there is no way of fighting it, but if it is corrupting the people some other way..." He trailed off and Anzu felt her heart beating fast in her chest. She had no idea that something so horrific had happened.

Anzu swallowed and then looked at the man and saw that his face had become tight with worry and he looked exhausted. She suspected he must be a close courtier to the Pharaoh otherwise he would not be so worried. She reached out instinctively and took his hand, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked at her hand in some surprise. "I promise you that whatever creature this is, it won't get to the people of Egyptian."

"You seem quite sure of that," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Absolutely," she affirmed, her brows drawing down in determination and then she released his hands and sprang to her feet, placing a hand on her hip. "I know that the High Priests would do anything to protect their people and even though there are several restrictions within the society of the court, I know that there are courtiers who are determined to protect Egypt at any cost. But this is only a small bit of the population!" Anzu tightened one of her fists and raised it, saying, "The lower classes...the villagers and the guardsmen...even they would do whatever is possible to rid the land of this evil. There is a true loyalty in Egypt, a lust for life and a passion for justice. It would take too much to dissolve the Egyptian people, we have always been united against any injustice that dares to threaten us." She lowered her hands and then glanced at his expression, which was one of impressed wonder. "You need only to believe in the people and trust that their hearts will lead them to the right path. Even if it seems as though the evil is winning, just remember that our people can sense that imbalance within their heart and are quick to correct it. We would be a truly outrageous lot otherwise." She gave him a dazzling smile and extended her hand. He stared at it a moment and then smiled, taking it, standing up to face her.

"Thank you," he said, not releasing her hand. "You have truly given me hope in what had seemed like a hopeless situation."

"No situation is hopeless," she told him, shaking her head. "There is always a way in which one can triumph. If you feel like this, I can only wonder how the Pharaoh feels about this...he must be terribly concerned for his people." He raised an eyebrow, appearing suddenly amused.

"He was," he told her slowly, releasing her hand and then brushing his fingers across her finger, smoothing some hair from her face, "but you just relieved his mind quite a bit." He smiled as she simply blinked at him in confusion and then it dawned on her what he meant.

"O-oh...you're...?"

He chuckled and stepped away, stripping the light robes off to where she could see his lavish outfit and the Sennen Puzzle hanging from his neck. "I wore this because it was rather cool out when I first got out here, but I didn't realize that it was such a disguise that one of my courtiers wouldn't recognize me." He hung the robes over his arm and then eyed her. "However, to be honest, I don't believe that you and I have ever met." Anzu felt like swallowing her tongue for speaking so boldly to the Pharaoh. He took her hand again and swept a graceful bow and rose up from it, saying, "But I am most pleased to meet you."

"And...it is a pleasure to meet you," she said, smiling nervously, inwardly cursing herself at such a blunder. "Erm, my name is Anzu, the daughter of Hepshut the scribe."

"Ah, you are Hepshut's daughter! I have met you then, but that was a long time ago." She felt her cheeks turning pink as he smiled again at her, softly saying, "You have grown to be quite beautiful."

"Th-thank you..."

"Hmm? Are you shy now that you know who I am?" he asked teasingly.

"I'm not supposed to talk to the Pharaoh in such a manner...," she mumbled embarrassedly.

"But I'm glad that you did, Anzu," he told her frankly, taking both of her hands and then tilting his head to peer up at her bowed face. "There are few that allow themselves that kind of freedom and it was a nice change." She blinked her blue eyes at him in disbelief and then raised her head uncertainly. She had always tried to play the part of a demure daughter when she went to any social gathering and it was only Jounouchi and Shizuka who saw her true personality. "I was fortunate to have you here today, your words truly did uplift me."

Anzu's lips curled in a smile. "I'm glad." For a moment, they stood there with him holding her hands and she was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable and could feel her cheeks turning pink again. Just as she was, she heard footsteps and they both turned to see Siamun Muran coming and not far behind was her father and the High Priest, Seto. _Oh, no...,_ she thought, seeing her father's stony expression. _He's furious._

"Ah, Hepshut," Atemu greeted and then released one of Anzu's hands. She felt her cheeks burn further when he reached around, his hand settling gently in the small of her back. "I just the pleasure of meeting your daughter. She's quite a delight."

"Thank you, my Pharaoh," Hepshut said stiffly.

"I will have to leave you now," Atemu said to Anzu, "but thank you again for your words and your lovely company." He took her hand and kissed it before leaving her, passing the three men. Anzu felt their questioning gazes on her face and ducked her head, feeling incredibly foolish. After they had all turned away, Anzu hastened out of the courtyard, eager to leave the palace.

Seto fell into place beside the Pharaoh while the other two trailed behind, Hepshut naturally seething at how close Atemu and his daughter had been. Atemu glanced at him, holding his robes over his arm. "You looked as though you were trying to seduce her in the courtyard. That's a little blatant, wouldn't you think?"

Atemu laughed. "I can assure you that I was attempting no such thing, Seto," he told him. "But I must admit...she is quite a beautiful, spirited girl. I admire her greatly and she has improved my mood a good deal given the events of yesterday."

"Perhaps you've found your match. Siamun Muran would be thrilled."

"Perhaps...only time will tell."

As for Anzu, she had rushed off to change into her beggar clothing and hurried down to the outskirts of the Pharaoh's city. She could still feel her cheeks flushing from the encounter with the Pharaoh. She felt like a fool for thinking that he had been an ordinary courtier and was shocked by her own behavior. However, as she slowed down, walking towards where Shizuka and Jounouchi lived, she couldn't help but smile. Out of all the men that she met recently, she had never thought to meet someone that would charm her so effortlessly. She had heard that Atemu was handsome and while he was, it was in a natural way, so like his charming compliments. He didn't seem to have to work to be attractive like many of the men she had met. Nonetheless, he was the Pharaoh and she had embarrassed herself frightfully in front of him and felt that such meetings would be better avoided.

"Hello?" she called into the home and poked her head in, noticing it was empty. Just as she leaned out, there was a call and she looked back to see Jounouchi walking out of another home where children waved to him. "Jounouchi! I was wondering where you were." She noticed that there seemed to be even more of the Pharaoh's guards patrolling in the outskirts. He ushered her inside and sighed. "Is anything wrong?"

"Eh, just so many guards. It gets annoying. They've been doing routine checks in all the houses, of course, since we're not much of anything." His mouth twisted in disgust, but he merely dropped onto one of the mattresses and smiled. "But how are ya? You look like you ran the entire way here."

"I did, I have something important to tell you. Where's Shizuka?"

"Oh, she went to one of the older lady's to help her with her grandchildren. Her daughter just recently passed away from sickness, so she's had her hands full."

"How awful...Poor woman," Anzu said with heartfelt sympathy.

"Yeah, but what is it? You gettin' married finally or what?" Jounouchi crossed his arms and said in a protective, brotherly fashion, "He better treat ya right or I'll break through the walls and – "

"No, no," Anzu laughed, "it's nothing like that! Listen...I met the Pharaoh today."

"_What?_ Really? What for?"

"It was an accident. My parents had been acting strange lately and so I decided to go to the palace. I was just intending on listening in to see if there might be something I could learn, but then I saw this man in the courtyard and...I mean, I hadn't known he was Pharaoh..." Anzu felt flustered again and Jounouchi noticed, raising an intrigued eyebrow. Ignoring his look, she continued, clearing her throat, "But I finally found out why there are all these extra guards and why everyone is tense in the palace. A village was attacked. It wasn't an ordinary attack, though, it sounded like everyone in the entire village was killed. And...he made it sound like they weren't killed normally. The word he used was 'otherworldly'..."

"Like, not human?" Jounouchi asked, an alarmed look crossing his face.

"Yes...he started talking about how he thought this thing would try to turn the Egyptian people against each other, as if it would turn their hearts towards evil. It almost sounded like he had already witnessed it doing that and that was why he was worried about it. Jounouchi, I told him that no matter what, the people would stay balanced, but I wonder...what happens if that thing comes here, to try and kill us? It took out an entire village...and it doesn't sound like it even has a physical form if it can imbalance people's hearts. How could we possibly fight it?"

"I don't know...It's no wonder they didn't want it out in the public, though. That kinda news...that would cause all kinds of problems."

"I know," Anzu murmured, biting her lip, "but they have the Sennen Items. Surely that would be enough to protect us?"

"Yeah, but think about it, Anzu," Jounouchi said with a grave expression. "If the Pharaoh's this worried about it, then maybe he doesn't think that the Sennen Items can take it down. And if the Sennen Items can't destroy it, then we're in for a lot of trouble."

"It doesn't matter...I know that he'll find a way to protect us. I believe in him and his judgment." Anzu paused. "But Jounouchi, we should keep this from Shizuka. I don't want her getting too worried. This is serious and I'll be honest, I'm glad that she wasn't here to hear about this. She's still so young."

"Alright...That's probably a good idea. I don't want her to stress about something we have no control over."

To this, Anzu said nothing, merely pausing in the doorway and gazing out. A man in ragged clothing walked by, looking at her briefly. She caught a pair of exotic lavender eyes before he turned away and continued on. She watched him go a moment and then turned away, returning inside the home to talk about less serious matters with her friend.

X

_It's nearly sundown,_ Malik thought, crouching outside the inner city walls in ragged clothing, pretending to be a homeless beggar. He had been crouching near Jounouchi's home when Anzu had explained to him what she had learned and had discovered what he and Bakura stumbled upon due to her story. He had been creeping around the outer city, but had found no other useful gossip amongst the commoners. He and Bakura had agreed to meet outside the walls, since Bakura had taken the task of doing the investigating in the inner city limits and the palace, but his companion was still missing. He was accustomed to Bakura being late, but not quite this late. He glanced at the sun again and pursed his lips. _The fool probably couldn't resist stealing some gold while he was in the palace,_ he supposed. Irritated, he slipped away from his safe spot and crept along the walls and along the shadows until he found the place he had been looking for. It had been a long time since he had last had to use this way inside the city, as Rishid usually let him in. It was too risky to do so with so many palace guards patrolling here. Very carefully, he loosed a few bricks in the wall and squeezed through. After replacing the bricks, he stripped off the rags and pulled the robes out from the satchel that had been hidden beneath the rags. He pulled the white robes on and piled the turban on his head and covered his face. Tucking the satchel beneath his robes, he left his hiding spot and walked through the inner city limits without anyone recognizing him.

Rather than approaching the palace walls directly, he moved round until he found a familiar spot that was covered mostly by trees and brush. Glancing around, he climbed the palm tree and then slipped over the wall, sliding along the wall and rolling at the bottom. He knelt near pool of water, behind a stone façade and watched a pair of palace guards walk towards the entrance, likely to switch shifts. He rose to his feet and darted away, towards the gardens that were nearest to the throne room. As soon as he had scaled the wall covering it, he knelt amongst some of the plants, watching a guard walk by. As he made to rise up again, he heard voices and hastily ducked back down. High Priest Mahado and his apprentice, Mana, were approaching, and Malik strained his ears to hear what they were saying.

"...cannot imagine how anxious I am to have you to myself," Mahado was saying. Malik's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The priest paused and looked around before taking Mana's shoulders and leaning down, kissing her. She leaned up, pushing her fingers in his hair and eagerly receiving the kiss.

_What an interesting development, _Malik thought, amused. _I never thought that stuck up High Priest would end up taking his apprentice as a lover. I wonder what other illicit relationships these High Priests have going on? _The two withdrew and he saw the reason a moment ago, when Isis rounded a corner and greeted them. The two remained a comfortable distance from each other, as if their passionate embrace had not just occurred. Malik rose up slightly so that he might see his sister better. Her face was composed and cool as ever, yet the angles and lines of her face held the beauty of an Ishtar and his mouth twisted wryly. Isis had the cold beauty of an aristocratic Egyptian, with her long black hair angular face. It was no wonder to Malik why Seto and her had become intimate. As the three left, moving towards the stairs that led to the throne room, Malik heard a soft sound behind him and whipped around, his dagger in hand. His dagger met another drawn dagger. "There you are," Malik hissed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Just thought to grab a few trinkets on my way out," Bakura said mildly. "I was making my way out of the palace on the roof when I spotted you down here. Did you find anything out?"

"I did. Did you?"

"Yes, but this isn't the place to discuss it. Let's go."

The two snuck out of the palace grounds. It was already dark by the time were back in the city and hurrying along the wall towards the entry that they knew Rishid would be guarding. It was easiest for them to slip out that way once darkness had fallen rather than go through the loosed brick way. They stopped behind a shop, kneeling behind it as they looked at the gate that Rishid usually was guarding. He was nowhere to be seen and the streets had emptied as the nobles were attending court at this time. Malik was disconcerted by Rishid's absence and looked around nervously. "Why would they leave this gate unguarded? Especially now?" Malik queried.

"It doesn't seem to be a trap," Bakura said, frowning. "It doesn't feel like one. It's almost like he made sure he wasn't here at this time."

"What in the hell for?"

"Who cares?" Bakura snapped. "Let's just get the hell out of here." The two started forward and were about to open the gate when it opened. They froze and jumped back, both brandishing their daggers. Rather than a guard, however, it was a girl that slipped in. After she had closed the gate, she turned around and then stilled seeing them with their daggers pointing at her. The three of them stared at each other, dumbfounded.

_TBC_

X

DIS: As always, thanks to those who reviewed :) I love the feedback. I'll be posting updates every Sunday from now on, so you'll be able to know when to look for the next chapter. The story is already halfway written up. With that said, please leave a review and let me know how you like it, whether you'd like any changes to the writing style, etc. Cheers!


	4. Chapter Four

_Chapter Four_

Malik stared at the girl, recognizing her from earlier, but rather than the rags she had been wearing, she was dressed in expensive garb that befitted a noblewoman. She appeared stunned, but not because two thieves were pointing daggers at her, but because there were even people at the gate. Her eyes darted around and then she asked in a trembling voice, "Did you kill Rishid?"

"Of course not," Malik answered without a thought. _Rishid must have made some sort of deal with this girl._

His answer seemed to calm her somewhat she released a sigh of relief, putting a hand to her forehead. "Thank Ra, then he wasn't at the gate like he was supposed to be." This seemed to calm her and then she looked at their daggers pointed towards her before turning her eyes back to their faces. Bakura was tense beside Malik and he sensed that he was readying himself to kill her.

"Wait, Bakura," Malik said, holding a hand out. Bakura flashed an annoyed look to him. "You're not supposed to be out there, are you?" he asked the girl, directing his attention to her. Her eyes flashed with alarm, but she quickly covered it up by brushing some of her hair from face and looking away, not replying. He smiled, seeing her glance at him. "I'm not stupid, girl. You're a noblewoman. What you're doing lurking out in the outer city limits is beyond my concern, but maybe we can strike a bargain. I would guess that Rishid has been letting you out and that's why he's not at the gate."

"What's it to you?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips, glaring at him, trying to intimidate him. Malik straightened and walked towards her, pressing his dagger against her chin lightly, trailing it down to the tops of her breasts. Her cheeks turned pink, but she kept her eyes steady upon his. A sudden flicker of recognition crossed her face. "You...you were down there in the outer city," she said, the fight washing out of her face in surprise. Confused, she looked from him to Bakura and then back to him. He could tell that she was about to unleash a torrent of questions and they didn't have time for that.

"I'll make a compromise with you to keep you from losing your life," Malik quickly said before she could begin the questions. "Bakura would rather kill you, but you have your own secret to hide, don't you? I imagine you and Rishid have been doing this for some time. What would happen if an anonymous note was sent, telling of Rishid allowing you out for your own little adventures?" She stiffened. A smirk lit his lips and he withdrew his dagger, returning it to its hiding place behind his robes. He pulled the cover off his face, feeling his face overheat from the cloth. "What do you say, girl? We'll keep your secret if you let us out and keep our appearance here to yourself."

"Did you kill anyone?" she asked after a hesitation.

"No," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Would it matter if we did?"

"Then I wouldn't make the deal," she said. "I'm not going to condone you two killing people. What _are_ you doing here, then?"

"Just kill her, Malik," Bakura spoke up, sounded aggravated. "We don't have time for her stupid questions. Rishid will be back any minute and I don't want to be caught talking to this girl by another guard."

"Answer that question and I'll let you through and my lips will be sealed about seeing you two," she replied calmly. "Neither of you have bags of gold, so I'm assuming that you came here for something else."

"Information," Malik said after regarding her for a moment, impressed in spite of himself at how well she was handling herself. "There was a village that was slaughtered that we came upon and we were nearly killed by some...thing...in it. There was no way of knowing what it was except by coming to the city." Her expression cleared and she eyed him thoughtfully.

"I believe you," she said at last. "It's not common knowledge of that happening." She opened the gate. "Hurry up, but remember, you promised to keep my secret." Malik gestured for Bakura and the thief lord hurried through. Malik made to go through the gate and then paused, looking at her in question. "You're wondering why a noblewoman was out there, aren't you?" she asked, as though reading it in his eyes. A small, regretful smile touched her lips. "Not everyone was born to the right class in society. Now hurry. Go." She nodded towards where Bakura was waiting. Malik said nothing to her, hurrying after Bakura and pulling the cover up on his face again.

Once they were gone, Anzu heaved a shaky sigh and closed the gate. She pulled the rag clothing out from her sash and hid them behind the crate. As she was returning from the crate, Rishid had returned to his post. She thanked him with a wave and he returned it with a smile. Anzu pulled her cloak around her and hurried through the streets to her home. Once she was safe in her room, she didn't even bother lighting a candle, stripping her clothes off and putting a gown on. She sat on the bed, pressing her hand against her forehead, as though checking her temperature. _Did I really just make a deal with the two most dangerous thieves in all of Egypt? _She recalled the Thief Lord's insistence on killing her. She had only heard of Bakura's partner by reputation, but he was nothing like she expected. He had an aristocrat's face and there was something utterly beguiling about his eyes, as if he were staring into her soul. She lowered her hand as his face came back to her mind, so close to hers when she had been trying to close the gate.

_Although Bakura was nothing like I imagined, either, _she realized. While his partner had the smoothness of a man that lived in a life of court, Bakura's face was more harsh with more lines from desert living and perhaps more years than his partner, but it was still not unhandsome. Had they been in expensive dress, Anzu could have seen them as being noblemen. After a moment, she lay on her bed and tried not to think of all that had happened that night, but it seemed impossible to stop thinking. As she stared at the moonlight that lit long strips along her ceiling, she couldn't erase the image of the thief's inquisitive lavender gaze as he paused at the gate. Even as she drifted off to sleep, his eyes followed her into her dreams, dancing teasingly at her.

X

"There's no mistaking it, my Pharaoh," Siamun Muran was softly as they approached the war room. "That must have been Bakura that killed that guard last night. The guards searched and found a few things missing in your chambers, but a good deal less than I would expect from the Thief King." Atemu nodded, but didn't immediately reply as they entered the room. The high priests were already inside and, with the exception of Seto, were all seated at the long table. They rose to their feet when he entered, but he waved a hand, beckoning them to sit.

"Why are we meeting here all of a sudden?" Seto asked bluntly.

Briefly ignoring the question, Atemu announced, "The Thief Lord was in the palace yesterday – before sundown, it appears. He killed the guard guarding the balcony and stole a bit of gold." The room stilled and of them all, Isis appeared most astonished. "I felt that, with the recent events, it would be best to move this room for these discussions, at least outside of audience hours. Bakura has always been greedy and would have stolen much more, which makes me to believe that he didn't come here for the sheer purpose of stealing."

"He would have raised quite a ruckus for the fun of it, too, just to prove that he could get away," Akhenaden added, frowning from beneath the hood of his robes. "But what purpose could he have had in sneaking into the palace grounds then? And why would he have come so close to the throne? To make an attempt at your life?"

"Bakura's not that stupid," Seto spoke up. "If he killed that guard, it was to keep him from raising the alarm, which means that he had been near that balcony for some time. He was listening to our conversation, but the real reason is why. What type of information was he looking for?"

"Whatever information he wanted, he must have gotten because he had time to go and snag a few items before he left," Kalim said mildly. "But the only thing we discussed was the village and our plans for handling it."

Atemu stood at the end of the table thoughtfully and then glanced at Isis, who was unusually quiet. His face softening somewhat, he told her, "I know that this is a sensitive topic for you, Isis...but do you believe that Malik might have been within the palace walls, too?" She raised her eyes to his, her mouth pinched in a pained expression and then she shook her head slowly.

"No...in all the years that he has been with Bakura, he has rarely entered the palace grounds. He knows that the risk of running into me is quite high." She dropped her gaze, adding, "His moves since living the priesthood have been nothing if not cautious, so as to avoid unnecessary incidents with me. Bakura would have been acting alone last night. If, as Seto suggests, they were looking for information, Malik would have remained in the outer city limits while Bakura was in here. He might have been in the inner city, but again, it would have been too much of a risk during daylight and it seems that was when they were acting."

"Which is also unusual," Atemu said, crossing his arms and looking to Seto, who was watching him carefully. "In all my time as Pharaoh, Bakura has always preferred to act at night unless he had a group of thieves to make an attack on the palace, but since his partnership with Malik, he hasn't done that. It makes me wonder whether they haven't been running into problems with this...evil...in the desert."

"That village, from what I've learned from the boy, isn't located on the banks of the Nile," Shadii spoke up. "It seems it's further out in the desert, so it could be possible the two thieves either witnessed the attack or came upon the village and saw the slaughter."

"Villages being wiped out are common in the desert because of bandits outside of Bakura's control," Seto said, shaking his head. "They wouldn't have come to the city for information purely due to that. They must have had an unpleasant encounter and knew that there are own hideout was threatened by it."

The room went silent as Atemu considered this, staring down at the top of the table thoughtfully. His mind had become much clearer since talking with Anzu. It was as if the cloud of depression and exhaustion that had been controlling him was dispelled by her bright, encouraging words. He had met Malik before and knew the male to be sharp and intelligent, even more so than his sister. When Atemu learned that Bakura had taken him as a partner, he was certain that his intelligence had been one of the many reasons that Bakura had chosen him, right beside his extensive knowledge of the city and the priesthood. _I would never voice this to even Siamun Muran, _he thought_, but there may be something to be gained from this event. Bakura has thwarted me every step of the way in trying to catch him since I came to power and has made multiple attempts at my life, but since partnering with Malik, he has become even more stealthy and cunning. I could never negotiate with Bakura – at least not alone – but Malik is another matter. If, in fact, they had an encounter with this evil, they are already involved in this struggle. They're too smart to know that they can ignore it, especially when it is originating in the desert. Seto is right, they likely feel threatened and are trying to figure out if it's a creature that they can combat with their small band of thieves. Bakura is too prideful to ask for help from others, but with Malik's calculating mind at his side..._ Atemu stirred from his thoughts and glanced at Seto. The rigid set of his jaw made him think that Seto's thoughts were turning in a similar direction.

"At the present, there is nothing we can do about the thieves," he said at last. "Our first priority is the village and seeking information there. Shadii, you spoke to the boy? Is he feeling comfortable enough with you to point out his village on the map?"

"He did, Pharaoh. He was most eager to help in any way, but I kept him in the palace. He's still very shaken up. The guards told me that he slept with candlelight the entire night and seemed to be quite restless." Shadii paused a beat before saying, "I don't think he got much sleep. He looked exhausted when I saw him."

"That's understandable after what he's witnessed. If we have a location, it's best that we visit this village today. Shadii, Kalim, and Seto, I would like you three to take this task upon yourselves. As for the rest of us, I think it would be best not to leave the city undefended. I would like Akhenaden to stay here to protect the temples of the gods on the palace grounds and for Isis to watch the temples within the inner city limits."

"And me, my Pharaoh?" Mahado queried.

"I have another task for you, Mahado, that I'd like to speak with you privately about." Mahado inclined his head politely. "If there are no questions, then it's best we get prepared as quickly as possible." He raised a hand to dismiss them and the priests stood up and filed out of the room. Mahado remained behind, as instructed, but Seto also lingered. Atemu looked at him curiously, but Seto merely glanced at his advisor pointedly. "Siamun Muran," Atemu spoke up, taking the hint, "would you wait for me outside while I talk with these two?"

"Of course." The advisor obligingly left, shutting the doors behind him.

"Should I leave, as well?" Mahado asked, rising to his feet.

"No, I trust your judgment, Mahado, but I'd like for this conversation to stay strictly between the three of us," Seto told him. "I'm sure, Atemu, that your mind was going the same way as mind when they were talking about the thieves. It might be beneficial if we could get their cooperation on this. They know the desert better than any of us and have...ways...of doing things that might be useful."

"I was also considering that, but there are a lot of barriers as far as that goes," Atemu told him frankly. "There is, foremost, the issue of their past criminal activities. We cannot overlook the damage they have done to the people – Bakura, especially. There is far too much blood on his hands. However, I was thinking that Malik is another matter. He has very few murders linked to him, although I am sure he's performed a fair many since becoming partners with Bakura, but he might be more reasonable."

"Malik is also just as clever, if not more so," Seto bit out with feeling. "He'll use the situation to his advantage, if he can, and bring the entire palace down if he so pleases. If – and only _if _– it comes to that, we need to be careful with him. Malik has never been trusting, even when he was in the priesthood, and his relationship with Isis will make him even less reliable. I don't mean to appeal to them now, but as a last resort. I don't want to become more involved with that damned Ishtar than I have to. He does nothing but cause trouble, even when he's not around." Atemu's eyebrows raised ever so slightly at the comment. Rather than ask him about it, however, he turned to look at Mahado, who seemed deep in thought.

"How do you feel about it, Mahado?"

"I would have to agree with Seto on this," Mahado admitted. "There are too many risks involved right now. But...there may come a time when _they_ come to us. Or rather, Malik may appeal to Isis." Seto snorted. "I'm not saying it will be soon, but if they are in a desperate situation, Bakura's pride would prevent _him_ from asking the Pharaoh for help, but he might force Malik to talk to his sister. It is...well known...that Isis would never turn her brother away and I think Bakura knows this well and will use it. And, I think, if the situation is bad enough, Malik would be willing enough to turn to his sister as a means of negotiating or for help. Regardless, though, it might be better for us to wait for them to act, rather than to act ourselves. We can manipulate the terms more if _they_ come to _us._"

"It's not a decision that needs to be made now, either," Seto reminded the Pharaoh. "I'd rather we not have to associate with Malik at all."

"If we get to that point, we may need to," Atemu told him and then nodded. "But as you say, it's not something we need to think about yet. If it happens as Mahado suggests, we may not need to consider it at all."

"Hopefully not," he said before giving a small bow and then leaving the room to join Shadii and Kalim.

"Well, with that settled...," Atemu sighed and looked to Mahado. "I have a bit of a...strange request for you, Mahado. I'd like for you to go into the outer city limits and watch the people there. I know that we typically let the lower priests deal with the small temples out there, but I think that it would be best for the High Priests to occasionally visit there. And, as they are outside the city walls, they will need more protection. I've already had palace guards sent out there, but in case of unusual attacks, it would be best to have one of the Sennen Items near there."

Mahado smiled slightly. "We are lucky to have you as our king, my friend. Even when we were young, you were always asking questions about people outside the nobility and how your father handled them. Very well, I will go there shortly."

"Thank you, Mahado. I knew that you would understand."

While Akhenaden, Mahado, and Isis went to their respective areas, the other three priests had already set out from the palace towards the village the boy had indicated on the map. There were interested stares from the people in the city while they watched the High Priests gallop through the city and out into the desert, those in the outer city looking particularly surprised by their appearance. "This village is not too far from the city," Kalim called to the other two. "We should arrive there by mid-sunrise and be back sometime after sundown."

"That is if everything goes smoothly," Seto replied, reaching around and pulling the cover of his robes above his nose as sand blew in his face. "There are a number of things that could go wrong in this. Even if there is daylight, we must be cautious while we are investigating. We don't know that this thing hasn't left the village."

"And if it hasn't, do you believe that we can combat it?"

"There's only one way to find out, now isn't there?"

By the time they arrived outside the village, it was nearly mid-sunrise. They didn't immediately enter the village, looking at it from an overseeing sand dune. Seto pulled his Sennen Rod out from beneath his robes, glancing at his companions. "It seems calm enough," Shadii said, "but we should be prepared for whatever may happen. It would be best for us to raise a shield around ourselves before moving in." There was a collected nod and they each raised their Sennen Item and a soft glow emitted from the golden objects before they returned to their original luster. "Shall we, then?" The other two nodded and they urged their horses down the hill and to the village. The village was eerily silent and the slaughter that the boy had described had transformed into a strange scene. Rather than the fresh corpses they expected, they found skeletons lying around the village, yet the clothes that hung from the bones were fairly intact and there was still the stench of fresh death in the air and a dull stain in the sand from blood.

"Their bodies...have already gotten to this unholy point," Kalim said in a hushed, shocked voice.

Shadii dismounted from his horse and knelt next to a skeleton, surveying the bones carefully while Seto held the reigns to his horse. The creatures padded at the ground, ill at ease. While Kalim moved ahead a few paces, dipping his head down to look into the houses and stare at the bodies, Seto kept a close eye on their surroundings, looking for any sign of the creature that had caused the devastation. The village, however, was eerily silent, sand blowing through from the desert, already beginning to form piles near the bodies. "Their bones are unmarked by any deadly blows," Shadii said, straightening to his feet. He looked at a home and then moved towards the ajar door, pushing it open. He gagged, stepping back and covering his mouth with the sleeve of his robes. He opened a hand and a small globe of light floated into the home and then disappeared, but it was enough to cause him to stumble out and slam the door.

"What was it?" Seto asked as Shadii returned to his horse, throwing himself up into the saddle. "Shadii?"

"We need to leave. This place is foul. There's nothing more to be gained from staying here."

Surprised by his attitude, Seto turned to call to Kalim to see that the priest was galloping towards them from where he had been near the end of the village. Seto's eyes narrowed, wondering if he was simply frightened or if something had actually happened. When Kalim grew closer, however, he could see a dark, long shadow pursuing him. As soon as Kalim had joined them, the shadow sprang up from the sands and loomed above them and smashed against their shields. Seto raised his Sennen Rod up instinctively and pushed it out, the eye in the Rod flashing bright light.

"We cannot fight this thing, Seto!" Shadii called, reaching over and grabbing at his arm as the horses reared, shrieking with fear. The push of power from the Rod had been enough to distract the shadow, however, and give them an opportunity to escape the village. Their horses were eager to leave and as soon as they were in the desert and the horses were willing to slow, they did so and looked behind them, but there was no sign of the shadow pursuing them. "It didn't follow us..."

"No...and while I'm glad it didn't, it makes you wonder why," Seto said. Turning to Kalim, he snapped, "And what were you doing that far from us?"

"We were on a mission to get information and that's what I was doing," Kalim returned in cold fury.

"Then maybe you should remember to stay _with the group_ so you don't get killed in that type of situation next time."

"Enough, you two," Shadii intercepted smoothly. "Let's hurry back to the palace and report the incident. We don't have time to argue out in the desert." The two went quiet, but grudgingly so and neither of them said a word the entire ride back to the city.

By the time they had returned to the palace, it was well past sundown and the three priests were exhausted. Nonetheless, they knew their duty was to report to the Pharaoh and so after gathering the other priests that had been completing evening rituals in their temples, they left to the palace. Atemu met them in the throne room, dressed casually and without jewelry, as he had already been in his chambers. "I'm relieved that you've returned," Atemu said, settling into his throne. "I was beginning to worry. What were you able to find out?"

"Should we wait for Siamun Muran?" Kalim asked.

"No, I didn't rouse him. He'll be asleep. I'll relay anything to him."

"We were attacked while in the village," Shadii spoke up without waiting for one of the others to say anything. The other three priests appeared alarmed at the news, Isis especially so, and Atemu leaned forward in his throne. "We knew that we couldn't fight against it as we were, it nearly shattered the shield we raised with our Sennen Items. It didn't have any shape, though, it was simply a dark mass, as though it was turning night." He shook his head. "I didn't try to use any of the enchantments that Mahado sent with us, I told them to flee. I apologize if you felt differently, my Pharaoh, but I could sense the strength in that creature."

"No, it was the right choice," Atemu assured him, clasping his hands, a sober expression covering his features. "Is there anything else?"

"The bodies were stripped of their flesh, they were nothing but bones, yet their clothes were still there. And...another thing, that I did not tell the others until now...when I looked into one of the homes, it smelled of rotting flesh and the walls were covered with a wet, dark congealing substance. There were insects gathered inside as though the bodies had decayed within the houses and while I'm sure some did, it was far too strong of a stench. I hesitate to suggest this, but...I believe that the flesh of the people are now within the houses. That is my only explanation for what little we know from going there."

"This is Dark Magic that we are dealing with," Atemu quietly said, "and very powerful Dark Magic, indeed, if it is nearly able to break through the Sennen Items' shield."

"That would explain why I haven't been able to see anything with the Tauk," Isis said.

"Yes...but whether this creature is acting on its own or not is still unknown. If there is someone controlling it, then it is likely that they mean to destroy all of Egypt. But to what purpose?" He shook his head and released a long sigh, straightening in his chair. "There is much that we still don't know. For now, though, there is nothing we can do. Go and get some rest. It's been a long day." Seto didn't immediately leave, following Atemu out to the balcony. Atemu flattened his hands on the balustrade, staring out at the dim garden. When Seto joined him, Atemu asked, "You're not going to sleep? You've been riding all day, I'm sure you're sore."

"Whether I'm sore or not is irrelevant," he dismissed. "Do you remember that incident some years ago with Bakura and that demon he brought up with his own attempt at Dark Magic?"

"Yes, but this isn't Bakura's style," Atemu told him in a weary tone. "If there is one person that I know better than my friends, it is my enemy, and Bakura has never been one for subtleties. If he was planning on destroying me with Dark Magic, he would make no secret out of it. But, there is also the fact that after that event nearly lost him his life, he doesn't seem to be fond of trying anything with Dark Magic anymore. He's not stupid enough to try it again."

"We have several weapons at our disposal, Atemu," Seto stated. "We have the Sennen Items and we have the god demons. We should act now before that creature gets stronger."

"We do have many ways of going about this, you're right," he agreed, "and if this was as simple as a creature getting out of control, I would consider putting the entire might of the Egyptian power into destroying it, but you're forgetting that we don't know if there is a mastermind behind this. We could have failed against Bakura, even with all of our destructive powers. No...it's best we treat this one more cautiously...If there's a magician behind this, then he'll only summon another creature and we'll be too drained to defeat it."

"If you think that's best," Seto said coolly.

Smiling, he turned around to face him. "I know you don't agree with my methods, but I won't sacrifice my people without knowing that it would be a worthy sacrifice. I would only be sending us in to die if there was a magician willing to continuously summon creatures to this land, and that would be playing into his hands. I'm not willing to do that."

"Then you had best hope that creature doesn't get so powerful we can't destroy it at all."

Atemu watched Seto walk back into the throne room, his shoulders set in irritation. He sighed, shaking his head, and turned his face back to face the heavens. _Father...what would you have done in my situation? _But the starry body of Nut merely twinkled down at him, oblivious of his worries.

_TBC_

X

DIS: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate the feedback:) The weekend flew by and I completely forgot to post this chapter. In any case, please leave a review letting me know how you're liking it, whether you'd like to see changes, etc. With that said, cheers!


	5. Chapter Five

_Chapter Five_

Anzu was certain that the reason her father had asked her to accompany him to the palace was for deceitful reasons. If she knew her father, he was likely thinking of some way to scold or lecture her about her speaking to the Pharaoh a few days ago. She had been able to avoid any conversation about it thus far, but his request seemed far too unusual and she was instantly on guard, but remained polite enough to make conversation. When they passed through onto the palace grounds, she had been certain that she had been mistaken, but it was then that her father decided to get to the heart of his rather dull conversation he had kept since leaving the home that morning. "Anzu, I understand that you rarely ever come to court," he began in a usual, scribes-like voice that suggested a lecture was on its way, "which is why I felt the need to bring you here. It's time for you to mingle with the other sons and daughters of the nobility and to relearn the etiquette of the court."

_Wait for it,_ she thought, keeping a politely attentive expression on her face.

"And I know that, as you are not as skilled in the etiquette of the court, that you may slip up and, being young, this is perfectly understandable. However, speaking to the Pharaoh in such a direct and bold manner as it seems that you have is terribly out of line."

_And next, the thing he always says when I don't follow proper etiquette._

"Such actions will shame your family." Anzu had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and instead nodded, lowering eyes docilely. "Now, I am needed to meet with the Pharaoh. I would like for you to mingle here at the palace for a bit and then we can go back home together to eat. Meet me at the Temple of Ra here on the palace grounds at about halfway to mid-sunrise. I should be done by then. Alright?"

"Yes, of course, father."

"Do try to be mindful," he added with a worried look to her before he hurried off into the palace.

_Be mindful,_ she thought to herself irritably, standing on the palace steps for a moment. _He acts as though I'll be throwing grapes on the floor for people to slip on for my own amusement._ She breathed out a sigh and rather than try to find other courtiers to mingle with – and she was sure he was hinting at catching a husband, too – she walked towards the many gardens that were within the palace grounds. The majority were located on the other side of the grounds. The palace was situated in such a way that the temples were clustered closely together, separated only by walkways that were lined with mythical beasts and looming past kings. This area was located directly to the left and the court gardens which had up to eighty different types of gardens, was located in the very back of the palace grounds. Feeling unhurried, Anzu took her time getting to where she wanted, looking around curious as she did and smiling shyly at the palace guards that stood by or walked past her.

Anzu spent most of her day in the gardens and was sitting in the lotus garden, sitting at the edge of a pool, circling her fingers through it in boredom when someone sat next to her. Thinking it must be her father, she looked up and then blinked to see the familiar face of the Pharaoh looking at her. "Oh!" she said in surprise and then rose to her feet quickly.

"Sit," he told her with a small smile. "This garden is mostly empty and I'm not worried about propriety given our last visit." His eyes were twinkling at her with mirth. Anzu hesitated, recalling her father's words in her mind, yet the Pharaoh didn't appear bothered by her forward way of speaking and he wasn't being entirely proper himself, sitting this close to a mere noble's daughter and without any servants or even his advisor at hand. "It's more comforting to come here than the private gardens near the throne room," he said, as though reading her thoughts. "I don't feel as constricted in my movements, what with people constantly fearing an attack from Bakura and even more anxiety on the parts of my priests recently."

"Because of the village?" Anzu spoke, stirring him from his thoughtful talking.

"Yes," he replied after a pause in which he seemed to remember mentioning it to her. "My High Priests are very able, but even they get worried." He smiled at her. "Which isn't to say that the Pharaoh doesn't get worried, either."

Anzu gave him a comforting smile. "I am certain that it is something that you handle, my Pharaoh."

"I appreciate your faith in me. I only hope that I don't fail you in that trust." He paused and his eyes swept over her face, making her feel unnaturally self-conscious. She knew that she didn't wear enough cosmetics or jewelry to look her station, but it had always seemed such a bother and her mother constantly blamed such things on her not having a husband. "I was surprised to see you here. Any reason for the change in habit?"

"My father brought me with him on his way to court. He wants me to become more involved in court activities since I haven't had much experience with them."

"Hmm...You know," he said abruptly, "you don't need to hide anything from me. If there's something troubling you, then I'll not say a word to anyone if you need someone to lend an ear to." He stretched his arms behind him and leaned back, tipping his face towards the sun. "You gave me strength when I needed someone to listen, perhaps I can help you in the same way." Anzu felt herself hesitating, knowing that what she wanted to say could possibly offend the Pharaoh. However, with him sitting there languidly, he looked no more a king than she did a queen; his relaxed stance made her feel as though she could trust him to keep her words to himself and, considering the type of daring things she had said before, she believed that he would be able to handle anything that she said now.

"The truth is...I don't feel as though I belong in the court," she confessed slowly. She sighed and turned her face from him, looking out at the fragrant lotuses. "I always knew it, even when I was younger. I don't want this grand life that I have, with beautiful fabric and jewelry and scents. Every day I think of how simple a farmer's life is compared to mine. The ability to work and create things, drawing closer and working even more personally for the gods in doing so...That just seems such a wonderful life. I'm sure it has it's hardships...hunger, exhaustion...but I feel closer to the gods and I feel more...well, more like a real person and less like a doll being made up to do nothing. This doesn't even include the obligations that come from court life, marriage especially. It would be such a nice escape..." She laughed slightly, an embarrassed smile tilting her lips up. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm ridiculous."

"Not at all," he spoke up in a serious tone, causing her to turn back to face him. He had straightened up and was regarding her with a focused expression. "Your reasons are admirable and I could not agree with you more on some of those reasons. I, too, have dealt with the frustrations of the pressures of marriage. And eventually, I will need to take wives – in order to build a solid line of heirs once I am gone. But it always feels that there are more important things and that anyone I am introduced to isn't worth it."

"That's how I feel," Anzu sighed. "My mother keeps pushing these young boys on me, barely older than fourteen – if that – and expects me to embrace it because of their family. And I know that an arranged marriage is beneficial and is the way that it's been done, but I just don't feel that way."

"I have often felt this way, and I often am called a romantic by Seto and Mahado whenever we talk about marriage." He chuckled. "And yet those two will never marry anyone less than what they want, either."

"But you don't think it's...inappropriate...for me to feel this way?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "Anzu, every position in every social standing is difficult, it's simply that there are different types of difficulties and some people can handle others better than the ones they are presented with. But..." He surprised her by moving closer, slipping his hand behind her neck, his thumb stroking along her jaw. "...I believe that you could handle any difficulty that was presented to you." He smiled at her and she felt her cheeks grow warm at how close he was. When his lips pressed against her cheek and he withdrew, it was as if her cheek were on fire, but then he had moved away again and it was as if it hadn't even happened. "When I see your fiery spirit, it gives me strength," he told her, leaning over, his forearms resting against his thighs. He turned to look at her and his mouth curved in a slow, warm smile. "It's always a relief to know that there are people out there who can stay strong, even in the most difficult of times. It only encourages me to succeed for my people."

Shaking out of her stunned thoughts after his kiss, she merely smiled and told him, "And I know that your spirit is what keeps many people that strong." He returned her smile with his own and then stood up, offering to escort her to her father. Anzu declined, knowing too well how her father would react to seeing her in the company of the Pharaoh again. After he had given his leave, however, she left the gardens to go meet her father at the temple. By the time she had walked to the temple, her father was already there and prepared to walk home.

X

Malik resented Bakura for bullying him into going into the inner city limits. If Isis or her High Priest lover crossed paths with him, they would recognize him even with the robes and the cover over his face. They had unanimously decided that it would be best to stay near the city for a bit, see if there were any other developments, but the trouble was that it didn't seem that any of the common people knew what was going on. As Malik paced up the street towards the temples and further from the homes of the nobility, he recognized a familiar female walking behind an elderly man from the palace street. He paused in his steps, watching her curiously. Whatever the man was saying was clearly making her less than pleased. Curious in spite of himself, Malik threaded his way through the thick crowds of Egyptians and was able to step in behind them without her noticing.

"...which is why you should just let her do as she wishes," the man was telling her.

"Father, every person she throws at me for marriage isn't even marriage material," she immediately told him. "There's no purpose in me lying and pretending I like someone when I don't! I'm not interested in marrying someone so much younger than me. Don't you want grandchildren?"

"Anzu," her father whirled around, halting in the street and grabbing her wrist. "Listen to me well. Do not threaten me, child. If you _do_ get married, you will perform as any wife does and bear your husband children."

Anzu tore her wrist out of his hand and stumbled back a few steps into Malik, who had stopped to pretend that he was looking at some wares at a shop. Before she could go crashing into the ground, he had caught her deftly with a hand. Hepshut's angry face was set in hard, rigid lines and his mouth pursed at his daughter's clumsiness. "Apologies, sir, I didn't – " Her mumbled words suddenly halted when she met his gaze and her eyes widened briefly before she hastily continued, "I didn't see what I was doing."

"No worries," he swiftly said, inclining his head politely. "Forgive me, sir, but I think she may have sprained her ankle." Anzu's eyes flew up to Malik's in question, but surprisingly, she remained silent. "I can see you are a most busy scribe. It would be an honor to escort such a lovely lady to the apothecary to help ease her pain." Malik made a gallant bow and then straightened, noticing that Hepshut's livid expression from earlier had faded somewhat and he frowned, looking at Anzu's feet. Malik was unsure if she had actually sprained it, but her ankle was currently twisted at an awkward angle making it looking probable. The girl in question certainly didn't appear as though she wanted to walk any further with her father. Malik found it amusing that she would choose the company of a thief over her own family; it reminded him far too much of himself.

"I would be most grateful, sir," Hepshut finally said. "Anzu, would you like me to come with?"

"No," she said firmly. "I'm sure this gentleman will be more than enough. I'll be home shortly." He nodded and after a small little bow to Malik, he turned and continued on. They waited a beat before Malik released Anzu and she settled on her feet without a problem. "I'm not sure why you did that, but thank you," she told him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You're welcome. Is your father always that rough with you?"

"It's not my place to judge my parents," she mumbled, but he could see the fire behind her eyes that suggested she was judging her father even as she spoke those words. He chuckled, shaking his head. He had never met a woman in the nobility that reminded him so much of himself. She certainly handled her temper better than he ever had and there was no doubt that her rebellious attitude was held more in check, but eventually he suspected that her anger and dislike for her family was bubbling just under the surface, readying itself to emerge. Malik tossed back the sleeve of his robe from his hand and held it out to her. She gave him a suspicious look.

"I'd like to have a word with you, but it would be better done in private," he explained.

Once again, he saw the suspicion enter her eyes, but she placed her hand in his anyway. Smiling behind the cover of his turban, he tucked her hand in his elbow and then led her away from the market and back behind the tight alleys of the city. He could feel her growing anxious beside him, but she never uttered a word and followed him. "Up you go," he said, pausing and gesturing at a stack of crates that were against a building. Pulling her dress up above her ankles, she scrambled up the crates and when he ushered her onto the rooftop of the building, she pulled herself up and then fell unceremoniously onto the roof. "Very elegant," he snickered, slipping off the edge and onto the roof. She merely huffed and scowled at him as she put herself to rights and brushed her dress off. When she looked around, she paused, the irritation wiping off of her face. "One of the best views of the city and it's not even very high."

"You can even see out into the desert from here," she said, turning her around. She shook her head and then looked back at him. "But I doubt you just brought me up here to look at buildings. What could you possibly want from me now? And _why_ were you following me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," he sneered, pulling the cover off of his face, rubbing his hand over it. "This thing is fucking annoying." He tore the turban off, dragging his hands through his sand coloured hair and sighing. "Listen, I can see that your family is fairly high on the social scale...and I'm willing to make a compromise for you."

"Compromise? Compromise what?" she demanded. "There's nothing you have that I want."

"But there is something that I have that you don't want to get out," he reminded her with a smirk. Anzu opened her mouth and then closed it, glaring at him, realizing that the original compromise was clearly not valid in the eyes of a thief. "I prefer to play fair, but I'm in a bit of a pinch. I'm not getting any information from the people in the city, which I'm assuming means that the Pharaoh doesn't want certain things known by everyone. Now, I could spread some panic and discord, get the people to start worrying and rioting and have fun with it, but I'd rather not. I need information and I think you would be the best person to get me that information."

"You must be joking," she said, staring at him. "You want me to spy for you?"

"It is really spying?" he returned with a mischievous smirk. "Let's be honest, you probably are just as curious as I am about what's going on behind the scenes, aren't you? And I'd bet you did a little bit of poking around and deception to find out what little you did, am I right?" He knew that he had struck home when she shifted guiltily, crossing her arms over her chest. _Perfect, just as I suspected._

"And how is your partner going to feel about this?" she asked. "He wanted to slit my throat at the gate, do you really think he's going to want you involving a noble's daughter in your clandestine schemes?"

"I wouldn't worry about Bakura. And, believe it or not, we're not scheming in the least," Malik told her honestly. "I get it, we're thieves, we're evil, and therefore we're out to get somebody...be as that may, we've always stolen from those that could afford being stolen from. It's one of our rules." Her gaze turned thoughtful, as though she was trying to remember all the times she had heard of their robbery and when his words seemed to follow what she could recall, she huffed a small sigh and dropped her arms in resignation. Smiling, he continued, "I'll make this offer a little more tempting for you. If you help us, I'll help your friends in the outer city."

"What?" she raised a startled gaze to his face. "Help them? How do you mean?"

"Food and supplies. Not enough for anyone to be suspicious, but enough for them to be comfortable. I'll leave them in their house while they're gone. They won't even know it's me."

Malik knew that he had chosen the right thing to bargain for; he could tell that she wasn't interested in any sort of reward for herself, as she had most of what a woman could want, but there was only so much she could do for her friends without her parents getting suspicious. "But they can't be stolen," Anzu finally said. "I don't want them getting dragged to the dungeons because you left stolen stuff there."

"Of course not. I will pay for it, fair and square. Whether the gold I'm using is stolen is another matter entirely."

"Alright...deal." She stepped forward and held out a hand. He raised an eyebrow and then took her hand, shaking it briefly before dropping it. "Next thing in order is names, then, I suppose," she said, placing a hand on her hip. "My name is Anzu. But I'm afraid I've never heard your name before."

"They try to keep it quiet," he said, amused. "Malik Ishtar." Before she could respond to that, he drove on, "And with that done, our next thing is an exchange of information. I'll let you know about our encounter at the village if you give me any information that you have." She nodded and so Malik explained to her about the encounter with the shadow while he and Bakura had been planning to thieve the village in question. Afterward, he mentioned that he had overheard her story to her friends and Anzu didn't say anything, frowning thoughtfully.

"Everything that I know, it seems like you already heard. But this makes me wonder...three of the High Priests left the city recently and then High Priest Mahado was at the temples in the outer city and as I'm sure you know, the High Priests never go outside the inner city. And I was told that there were new developments, but not what they were...do you think it's possible they went to the village?"

"Most likely," Malik said with a small shrug. "But we won't know for sure until you find out what these new developments are exactly."

"I don't feel comfortable with this...it doesn't seem like my business," she muttered.

"I could drop some stolen items in your friends' house, call the guards, if you seem so unsure," he remarked casually.

She sent him a disgusted glare. "You're despicable. They have nothing to do with this."

"Ah, but they do now." He set his turban back on and covered his face, pointing a finger at her. "I'll come find you when I think you've had enough time to gather more information. Better get going sooner rather than later."

X

Bakura had been digging through papyrus scrolls in the war room when there was a sudden sound of footsteps. Swearing, he darted out onto the balcony and then scrambled up into the overhanging arch. He had only been able to grab two papyrus scrolls that had looked worth anything and they were firmly tucked inside the satchel that was pressed against his hip. He grabbed a hold of one of the beams and pulled himself onto it, protected further in the shadows just as Atemu and Mahado stepped out onto the balcony. Clutching onto his satchel, he peered down at the two men, his eyes narrowing curiously. It was rare for Atemu to be seen without his entire entourage, let alone without his advisor, Siamun Muran.

"...but I know what type of position that puts me in," Atemu was saying as they stepped outside. Bakura crept to the back of the beam so that he could see the two better. Mahado was facing Atemu while the Pharaoh was looking out off the balcony, his back to Bakura. "Yet I have never met someone so extraordinary."

_Please tell me that I am not listening to this worthless conversation_, Bakura thought irritably. _Is this stupid Pharaoh talking about love?_

"While the people would prefer an Egyptian wife," Mahado said slowly, "I know that Siamun Muran would prefer someone in royalty, such as the Libyan princess. I understand that you two still correspond after her visit here."

Atemu waved a hand distractedly. "She is nothing in comparison. It isn't really the time to be thinking of romance, either, I know, but she would be a good companion...Especially during these times. But she would also be put at more risk."

"I'm surprised at you, Atemu. You've never shown this much forethought for any other woman."

"I'm well aware..."

_This is the most worthless conversation I've ever listened to,_ Bakura thought, wishing he had thrown himself off the balcony instead of being stuck crouched above them.

"Did you tell her anything about recent events?"

"Nothing that could be used," Atemu said. "I'm not so foolish. If the common people were to learn about this, there would be complete mayhem, and I trust Anzu not to say anything to the others. She is, after all, Hepshut's daughter. She may not have been involved in the court, but she knows the risk of unleashing that type of information. I enjoyed the conversation I had with her today...it was very normal. I needed that. Constant talk about Dark Magic and deadly creatures is enough to sink me into despair."

Bakura frowned, picking up on the last sentence and leaning forward a bit. _Dark Magic?_

"But Hepshut also was not pleased with her speaking so comfortably with you. From what I heard, she was quite outside the rules of etiquette."

"Yes, she was...Being treated with reverence gets exhausting at times, especially when you are searching for a wife. She's the first woman who has treated me as all that I am, just another man." He fell silent for a moment and then chuckled. "I kissed her today."

"Oh, Atemu," Mahado sighed heavily. "You let your romantic spirit take too much control."

"She didn't even seem interested in it, only startled. If any other woman had been kissed by the Pharaoh, she would have fainted."

"I see. Well, as much as I admire your romanticism of this girl, I don't think it would be wise to continue on this way. It could put her in danger."

"Yes, of course," Atemu agreed and then turned around to return to the war room. Bakura crept to the other side of the beam so they would be unable to see them. "It is just my luck that I find such a girl while a dark creature is waging war on Egypt." Once the two had re-entered the room and Bakura heard the sound of the door closing, he waste no time in dropping from the beam and hurrying out of the palace. By the time he was back in the inner city, shrouded in his robes, it was nearing sundown and the streets were nearly empty with only merchants returning home with their wares or guards patrolling the streets.

"There you are," Malik hissed as Bakura approached him where he was standing in an alleyway. "Let's get out of here so I can get out of this damn turban." The two of them left to one of the gates and Malik handed Rishid a small pouch that was filled with coins. "Keep it secret, I don't want anyone thinking you stole it," he told him quietly. Rishid smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Master Malik," he said, bowing. Malik waved a hand as he passed through the gate and slipped out with Bakura close behind him. Once the two had their horses from the stables at the end of the city and were in the desert, Malik tore off the turban, ignoring the sandy wind slashing his face.

"I fucking hate getting stuck in this turban all day," he growled, shaking his head, his long hair flying.

"Cut your hair off like a normal Egyptian, then," Bakura said with a smirk at Malik's glare.

It was late in the night by the time they arrived back in Kul Elna and they were both exhausted and hungry. While Bakura prepared the food, Malik made a fire in the home, poking and prodding at it. "Did you learn anything today, Bakura?" Malik called.

"I took two scrolls that look like they might be useful, but the Pharaoh didn't hold any meetings at the palace for some reason," Bakura answered, coming back with a pot full of vegetables and small pieces of meat in a stew. He carefully settled it over the fire and then sighed, falling back on the pelts that were on the ground. "The bit of conversation I did hear from the Pharaoh was about his love life with some girl named Anzu." Malik paused in stoking the fire, turning to look at him, his eyebrows raised high.

"What? Anzu?" he repeated.

"Someone you know?"

"Someone we _both_ know," Malik stated. "She's the girl we ran into at the gate. I didn't realize she had been getting her information from the Pharaoh! This might change things..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bakura asked suspiciously. "Did you talk to her again?"

"I made a bargain with her. I thought she might have some inside source, but I didn't think it was Atemu. She's agreed to gather information for us in return for us helping her friends in the outer limits and keeping her secret." Bakura was at first annoyed that Malik had gone and made such a deal without him present, but then considered it before blowing up. Even though Atemu had said that he knew better than to give out too much information, he could also tell that he was desperate for a companion to talk with and as Anzu was where his attention was directed to, Atemu might let some rather important things slip. It had been lucky that the same girl they had run into was also the one that Atemu was interested in. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

"Only because you got lucky," Bakura blatantly told him. "This girl could be useful...But it also means we have to depend on her not getting attached to Atemu and ratting us out."

"Somehow, I don't think he's her type," Malik said dryly. "She's got a sharp personality and Atemu is an oversensitive romantic."

"Keep your fingers crossed that your assessment is correct, Malik. She'll make this go by much faster."

X

That night, Anzu stayed at home alone rather than going to see Jounouchi and Shizuka as she typically would. Her mind was whirling with thoughts of what had happened that day. The deal that she had struck with Malik had been dangerous and she knew that if anyone learned of it, she could likely be hanged for it; however, she couldn't find any regret in her mind for it. Even she did become a close friend to the Pharaoh, she would never be able to convince him to help her poorer friends and there was no way for her to help them more than the tiny little things she could fit in her clothing, which wasn't much. As she sat out on the terrace behind her home with the moonlight glinting down at her, she felt that she had made the right decision. _It will be good for them,_ she thought, _and I don't think that they want this information to use it against the Pharaoh._ Malik had spoke of being in a hurry, which made her wonder if they were trying to act against the evil that was lurking in Egypt or if the thieves had other people they were trying to protect.

Everyone knew of the type of misdeeds that Bakura had performed, especially with the amount of people he had killed with his demon a few years prior, but there was very little known about Malik, at least to the common people. When he had given her name, Anzu had been able to recall a few stories that had been revolving around his name. She had been sixteen when he had abandoned the priesthood and left the inner city for his own pursuits, turning his back on his family. She hadn't understood how terrible of an act that was until she grew older. The mere act of leaving the priesthood was enough to earn him a spot in the dungeons. _I've not heard of any specific, heinous crimes related to him, though_, Anzu realized, tipping her head back, her shoulder length, brown hair swinging back. _And since then, there have been less violent attacks by Bakura, too. There must be some sort of logic in Malik's crime than Bakura's...Maybe that's why I trust him more readily, as if he's not even a thief_. Anzu sighed, shaking her head. _Or maybe I'm just a fool. _

Anzu rose to her feet and held her arms, stepping towards the small lily pool that had a collection of tiny fish in it. _I don't know what's happening in Egypt right now, _she thought, _but I know that I want to help as much as I can. And I don't know, it feels as though Malik and Bakura are trying to help in their own way. _

"Whatever happens from now on is in the hands of the gods," she whispered softly. "I can only do my best and hope the decisions I make are right."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Oh, the suspense! Please let me know how you're liking the story thus far and if you think it needs to be adjusted at all. :) Cheers!


	6. Chapter Six

_Chapter Six_

Anzu didn't particularly want to use the Pharaoh for her own means. She would have much preferred to try and pry it out of the High Priests and had, in fact, been given the perfect opportunity. When she had gone to the palace two days later with her father with the excuse that she wanted to become better acquainted with the court, she had been walking through the palace when she came across High Priest Kalim. _Perfect!_ Anzu thought, feeling relieved. She knew that there was no way she would be able to get anywhere with High Priests Seto, Isis, or Mahado, as they had always been the more loyal and cautious of the priests. High Priest Shadii was quiet and spoke rarely unless he felt it was important and the High Priest Akhenaden, being the brother of the previous Pharaoh, was far too clever to be coerced into any trap that Anzu set. High Priest Kalim, however, while respected for his intellect and physical strength, was also known to be more impulsive than the rest and might be more easy to persuade into talking to her.

_I've done my research on all the priests through gossip at the market and by asking my parents, _Anzu thought, keep her gait even and slow as she approached the priest. _Now it's just time to find out how true those stories are._ "Life shine upon you, High Priest Kalim," Anzu said, bowing respectfully to him.

"And to you," he responded, returning the bow as he paused in his steps. "I beg your pardon, but I don't recall seeing you here at court often."

"I haven't been very active in court until recent," she said, smiling. "I'm looking for my father, Hepshut the scribe. Have you perhaps seen him?"

"If he is anywhere at this time, he would be in the library. Would you like me to show you? You be unfamiliar with the rooms here at the palace."

"Thank you, that would be very helpful, I don't know where many of the things are here at the palace."

While they walked, Anzu made conversation with him, commenting on the palace and the people before slyly pointing out that the servants and priests seemed more tense than usual. Kalim glanced at her quickly, but she kept her face carefully composed, accustomed to lying at this point, after having to hide her escapes into the outer limits for so many years. "Yes...it's true, there is a high amount of tension in the palace right now," he admitted in a careful voice. "The High Priests and servants here have to deal with a lot. I'm sure you can imagine, being the daughter of Hepshut."

"Yes, of course," she said. "I'm an only child, so when things seem troublesome or he needs an ear and my mother's not available, he usually comes to me to talk. I always worry that he takes the stress of the kingdom on his own shoulders, as if he were Pharaoh. It's hard, sometimes, especially now with more threats..."

Kalim looked to her. "He has told you of our current situation?"

"Bits and pieces," she said vaguely. It was enough to make Kalim comfortable and to keep her father from getting in trouble.

The High Priest was silent for a long moment and then said, "It is always good to have someone to lend an ear to and usually I find comfort in speaking to my fellow priests, but as it is, we are all at a loss and becoming ever more divided. I blame myself partially for this, I can't seem to stop butting heads with Seto...if I were to speak a little to you, let us keep it between ourselves, little one."

"Of course," Anzu said in a grave tone, nodding. "Business within the palace ought to remain quiet, there are all types of unkind ears that await information."

"Too true," he agreed. "The Pharaoh believes that this division of the priests is due to the dark creature that lurks outside of Egypt. When we went to a village that was eradicated by this dark force, there was such horrors there...horrors that only Dark Magic could create. It is such a powerful Dark Magic that is has been tampering with our Sennen Items, causing them to seem almost...less effective, which is quite worrisome. And while this is certainly a problem, I fear that if this evil continues to permeate into the hearts of the people – and us High Priests, especially – there will be no unity and Egypt will be weaker to the enemy. I don't mean to startle you, little one, with my words...But it may do well to tell you this to gain an insight. Have you seen any type of divisions in the city yet?"

"Not yet, sir," she said, shaking her head and doing her best to hide her trembling hands, frightened by his information in spite of herself. "If I may suggest, though...perhaps it is because you are holders of Sennen Items that the evil is able to reach you first and more powerfully?"

"You may be right...I will certainly bring it up to the other priests, I have never considered such a thing." They continued to speak of this, dwelling on how such an evil could disrupt the balance in the people's hearts for some time until they came to the library. "Ah...here you are. And please, if you notice any disturbances in the people, I would appreciate if you came and told me. Even the smallest thing."

Anzu smiled and nodded. "I promise that I will. I hope that talking has eased your mind somewhat."

"It has. Thank you for listening." As Kalim turned and walked away, back towards the way he had come from, Anzu felt a pang of guilt for using him in such a manner, but she vowed to look after any disruptions at the market or among the families they lived near so as to keep him informed. It eased her guilt somewhat, but she wished it hadn't been so easy for the High Priest to divulge such confidential information.

Anzu entered the library, closing the large doors behind her quietly and then turning around. She breathed a soft, "Wow," in looking at the tall shelves, filled with papyrus scrolls and maps. In the center of the columns were long tables where one could study the items from the shelves. Anzu walked slowly down the massive library, gazing up at the tall shelves and looking around her in wonder. There were beautiful statues and gold pieces in the library and silk fabric draped along the walls and pulled back from the large balcony. As she came to the end of the room and where the balcony was, she looked out to see that it faced one of the gardens. She could faintly remember seeing the balcony on her tour of the gardens the other day, but hadn't realized that it led to the library.

"Exploring again, I see," a voice remarked from behind her. Anzu whirled around in surprise to see the Pharaoh with a long scroll in his hand. She saw that her father was behind him with two other scrolls, frowning at her disapprovingly. As though sensing Hepshut's stare, Atemu said, "Go on ahead of me to the war room, Hepshut." He handed him the scroll he was holding. "Mahado and Seto are anxious to see these." Because it was an order from the Pharaoh, Hepshut reluctantly left towards the front of the library. "And now," he said, spreading his hands out in a gallant gesture, "you can speak freely to me. "

Anzu laughed and averted her gaze, feeling both flattered and embarrassed at the same time. Because of her encounter with Malik, she hadn't even been given any time to think about her meeting with Atemu. While she hadn't had much experience with romance, even she was able to notice the Pharaoh's interest in her. It was certainly flattering to have the king of Egypt be interested in her, but Anzu wasn't so sure that she wanted to become involved in such a potentially complicated relationship. "My father will surely lecture me about it later anyway," she told him, raising her eyes to his. He had walked closer to her and was standing a body's width away from her. "I thought he and I might walk home together, but it looks like he'll be here for awhile longer."

"There's quite a bit going on at the moment," he said, "and we'll need Hepshut for his knowledge. There are few others that know this library as well as he." He glanced back at the shelves. "My ancestors took a good deal of time focusing their attention on building this library...it's too bad there wasn't more order to it. It's nearly impossible to know where everything this. Even I don't know what half of these scrolls say and I've spent a good deal of my youth in here."

"I hadn't even realized that so many scrolls had been written," Anzu told him, turning her own gaze to the library. "It's amazing what our scribes can do...I can't imagine any other place rivals such a library."

"Not that I am aware of, no," he agreed and then chuckled. "Forgive me, Anzu, for bringing this up, but I should apologize for my bold behavior the last time I saw you. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Oh! No, no, of course not! I mean...that is...there's no need to apologize." One of his eyebrows rose, his mouth tilting up in an amused smile. "Which isn't to say that I was uncomfortable," she quickly added. "Because, I mean..." She trailed off, blushing in embarrassment at her own inadequate use of language and frustrated from her stumbling.

"Then, I don't make you uncomfortable?" he asked in a softer voice, stepping a bit closer, reaching out and tipping her face up to meet her eyes.

"No," she said and offered a smile of reassurance, even though her cheeks were still burning. "Not at all."

"I'm glad to hear that." His fingers lingered, brushing along her jawline, and then he dropped his hand, although he stood staring at her for some time. There was call from the other end of the library and they both turned to see High Priest Mahado walking towards them. "Ah, I should have known he would come looking for me," he said in a dry tone. Anzu cast him a puzzled look, but instead he bowed to her, taking her hand. "Let's meet again, shall we?" She thought he was going to kiss the top of her hand as was customary, but then turned her hand over and pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist. A sudden shiver traveled up her arm at the intimacy of it. "Would you mind giving relief to a weary king and meet me in the lotus garden after sundown tonight?"

"I...um..." Mahado was getting closer and just as he stepped up to them, she murmured, "Yes, of course."

He smiled and straightened from his bow, turning to Mahado, who wore an exasperated expression on his face. "I was just about to join you," he told him brightly.

"Yes, I'm sure you were," Mahado replied. "The meeting will be starting soon, my Pharaoh, it's best we go." He bowed to Anzu respectfully and Atemu inclined his head, flashing another smile at her before following the High Priest out of the library, leaving her standing near the balcony dumbfounded.

_What did I just agree to? _she wondered in horror. She didn't want to get any more involved with the Pharaoh than necessary, but he seemed intent on romancing her into his arms with his light touched and chaste kisses. Shaking her head and hitting her forehead with her fists, she muttered, "Stupid, stupid, stupid...!" Anzu hurried out of the library and through the palace in the search of the exit, thinking to herself, _There's no way around it, though. I have to meet the Pharaoh tonight...this is a disaster. I've made a deal with thieves, I have friends in the outer limits that I sneak out to, and now I have the Pharaoh of Egypt trying to court me. My father is going to whip me if he finds out. The Pharaoh's not even trying to make it a secret. Although, he is very handsome and charming...no, no, no! _Anzu smacked herself in the face again. _I can't think that way. He is the Pharaoh and I'm just me and if I hate the life of a noble, I certainly wouldn't like the life of a queen!_

Anzu was a nervous wreck all day and she was sure to slip out of the house before her father returned from the palace. She had draped robes around her and paced the market anxiously, watching as the sun dipped slowly down upon the horizon. She sat on an empty crate in an alley way after sundown, waiting until the last rays had disappeared, leaving a pink and bright orange hue in the sky. _I wonder how long after sundown I should wait? _she thought to herself, worrying her lip between her teeth. Just as she rose to her feet, there was a whisper of her name behind her. Frowning in confusion, she turned around to see another robed figure standing at the end of the alley. She recognized the lavender eyes, however, and Malik pulled down the cover to his face, smiling. "Remember me?" he teased.

"How could I forget you?" Anzu grumbled. "What are you doing here?" He readjusted the cover and then gestured for her to follow him. As soon as they had gone a little deeper into the alleys, he stopped and looked around. "Where's Bakura?"

"Performing his own bit of stealth, I'm sure," Malik replied. "A better question is, what are you doing dressed in robes? Hiding from someone?" Anzu hesitated, but didn't immediately answer. "Think up a good answer while I talk. I've already delivered your friends some things tonight, so you had best have something for me to work with. I've given you ample enough time for you to have done some digging around in the palace."

"There's a lot I have to tell you," she said, "but I can't talk right now. I have to meet the Pharaoh in the gardens tonight. It's already sundown and I'm supposed to be there shortly after sundown. I don't want to be late." She reached down and pinned the cover to her mouth with small, golden scarab pins to her robes. "My father can't see me, though, he'd be absolutely livid."

"This seems a bit farfetched," he told her, his eyes narrowing on her suspiciously. "Where are we supposed to meet then, if you have to go rendezvous with the Pharaoh?"

"I don't have time to explain, we'll have to – " She stopped, staring at him. "Wait a minute...You can come with me!"

"Excuse me? Are you trying to get me hanged? There's no way that I'm going into that damned palace, much less just walk through it as if I'm not one of the most wanted criminals in Egypt. You must be mad."

"No, I don't expect that from you at all," Anzu said, rolling her eyes. "Sneak in through the palace and go to the lotus gardens. I need you to look out. If he makes any forward advances, just step out, pretend to be one of my servants, and say that my father had sent you to look for me." She could tell by his further narrowing eyes that he was scowling at her in irritation. "I promise that I will vouch for your identity and I might even be able to get more information out of him and you can listen. It would prove that I'm keeping my end of the bargain."

He was silent for such a long time that Anzu feared that he wasn't going to agree. He heaved sigh, closing his eyes and swearing, "Damn it, fine. But you had better have good information. I'll find you in the lotus gardens. I'll follow you out when you leave and then you can give me what you found out. Understood?"

"Yes, now I have to go. Don't get caught." He grunted in reply, clearly displeased, as she rushed off. Anzu would never have asked him in any other situation, but the Pharaoh's interest in her was far too apparent and she wasn't entirely sure what he had meant by giving her relief. She knew that he was a gentleman and respectful, but she had never had a man become so interested in her before. She was unsure of how to act and felt fairly certain that a respectable woman didn't allow men to kiss her. _Oh, no,_ she thought with sudden horror, _what if thinks I'm easy?_ Anzu stopped and leaned against a building, holding her head. _What if he thinks that I always let men kiss me? _A few people walking past sent her strange stares, as though she were going mad. Realizing the attention she was drawing, she hastily straightened up and continued her quick walk to the palace.

Once she had been let in, she half-ran towards the garden and was out of breath when she got there, looking around somewhat wildly. She glanced behind her, thinking, _That thief had better have gotten here._ She continued to hurry through the gardens and found the Pharaoh standing near one of the pools, his hands on his hips, surveying the stone structure of Ra that loomed from the center of it. "Um...I'm sorry if I'm late," Anzu said a bit breathlessly. He turned and eyed her attire before smiling.

"You sound out of breath, did you run here?" he asked.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting."

"No worries, I was just able to escape from my priests and slip out here." He drew a little close and reached up, unpinning one of the scarabs, letting the cloth drop from her face. "Ah, there we go." His fingers brushed her cheek and then he dropped his hands, stepping back. "While it looks exotic with seeing just your eyes, I do enjoy seeing your smiles." She laughed slightly, blushing. He held a hand out to her and she took it shyly. He bent over it and just as he did earlier that day, he turned it over and this time kissed her palm. He straightened, his eyes searching her face thoughtfully. "Anzu, you were blunt with me before," he told her. "Would you mind if I were with you?"

"Not at all, Pharaoh."

"Well, first, let's try using my name instead without the title," he said with a dry twist to his mouth. She had the shame to look embarrassed and then nodded. "And now...I'm sure you know that there are certain obligations that I have and protecting my people is the one that I am most concerned with. And, as such, there are certain ways that I have to do this. I won't lie to you, I find you to be the most intriguing woman I've met and certainly one of the most beautiful. If things were more stable and you were willing, I would like to have you as my wife." Anzu felt her stomach sink as she stared at him, but controlled her expression, looking suitably flattered, while inwardly reeling in shock. "As it is, however, anyone close to me is at danger. We are facing unknown dangers and it would put you at risk of being attacked. In spite of this, I would still like to see you...to know more about you. Typically, I am given a set amount of time to learn about women before deciding on them as a wife. I've never found that to be particularly effective, as they usually treat me as a king before anything else. But you didn't even see me as that before and I've been able to feel closer to you than any other woman I've met."

"I...don't know what to say," she said slowly. "That is to say...you know how I feel about my position as a noble's daughter. There are so many other expectations of a queen and I don't think that I could handle that."

"I understand, but..." He hesitated and then looked at her with a hopeful expression. "...would you at least consider it?"

"Yes, of course," she said with a smile. "I'll consider it."

"Excellent." His face lit up. "Let's sit a bit."

While they were sitting down, Malik had found a comfortable spot in the foliage to view them and had just heard Atemu's proposal. Disgusted, he shook his head, tearing his turban off his head and scowling across at them. _Stupid romantic idiot, _he thought irritably, _falling for the first girl that he sees that is willing to put him in his place._ Malik dragged his hands through his hair and peered closer at the couple. Any other girl would have thrown themselves at him at such a proposition, but Anzu looked uncomfortable, as if she very much wanted to get out of the situation. His initial impression of her seemed to be rather accurate. The girl wanted nothing to do with the elegant and prestigious life as the queen of Egypt and while she said that she would consider it, Malik suspected she already knew the answer. He settled back in the soil, draping his hands over his knees, his brow furrowing. He had never met another noble who had felt a similar disgust for the nobility and, as far as he had known, there had never been any other. He knew that if he brought it up to Bakura, his partner would disapprove, but he wondered what had brought Anzu to such a viewpoint.

"It will be difficult to see you like this from now on," Atemu was saying, pulling Malik from his absorbed thoughts. "The situation that I spoke to you about has gotten more serious...My own priests' lives were put in danger. This evil creature, we found, is of Dark Magic, but not any that we have seen before." He touched his Sennen Puzzle absently, causing Malik to turn his eyes to his solemn expression. "It's frustrating, to know little of your enemy, and unable to do anything about it after it's already killed so many of your people." He leaned forward, clasping his hands, leaning his elbows against his knees. "There is so much that we still don't know...and every day we try to develop a plan, to search our records to see if our ancestors had faced anything, but it's difficult."

"Pharaoh – I mean, Atemu...I know that my father will do everything he can to help you." She leaned forward and hesitated before putting a comforting hand on his hand. "He thinks very highly of you and would sacrifice his life for you."

"But that's what worries me most," he told her, turning to look at her, leaning his temple against his hands. "I grew up with Seto and Mahado, they're my closest friends, and Siamun Muran has looked after me since I was born. They would put their lives on the line for me, but I cannot see them throw them away so recklessly. I have been asking myself whether I should go to the village myself, to see if I might be able to make any sense of what is happening through my own eyes. I can't think of a logical way to present it to the High Priests or my advisor and I know they would disagree with me."

"They only want to keep you safe...if something happens to you, what would happen to Egypt? I mean..." Anzu sighed and leaned back, cupping her hands against the fountain. "If you think about it, they're only doing the same thing as you are to them. When you love or care for someone, you want to protect them and keep them alive. There are so many people in Egypt that love you, even without knowing you personally, they would never want to see anything happen to you. Even if you're far away from someone or not as close to them as others, if there's even a bit of friendship or love, you'll want to keep them safe." She straightened and laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I think it's great what you're trying to do...but I also think you should respect what they are trying to do for you, as well."

"You have an amazing amount of insight for someone so young, Anzu," he said quietly.

"I have two great friends that have helped me learn a lot while I was growing up."

He chuckled. "You, as well? I'd like to meet these friends of yours someday."

"Maybe you will someday," she answered, although when she turned her head, Malik could see a sad turn to her lips. "I should probably get going, though...I wouldn't want to be out too late."

"Ah, yes," he said, standing up and taking her hands. "I'm glad that I was able to see you tonight. You've really improved my mood." Malik was in the process of putting his turban back on when he saw Atemu reach out to take her face. Knowing too well where that was going, what with the romantic atmosphere and the cheerful discussion, Malik sprang out of the bushes and made a hurried scurry towards the couple, quickly drawing up the cover on his face. He cleared his throat loudly and the Pharaoh, who had been leaning towards Anzu, glanced up and then straightened in seeing Malik, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Yes?" Anzu turned and her face lit up with relief at seeing him.

"Oh, it's my family's servant," she said in a false, dramatic tone. "My mother must have sent him to look for me."

"Ah...very well." He smiled and reached up, pinning her scarab for her and bringing her other hand to his lips, his mouth lingering on her fingers. "I hope to see you soon." She nodded and quickly went to Malik.

As the two were walking away, Malik muttered, "Are you trying to get yourself taken advantage of in the middle of the gardens?"

"He would never do that," she hissed back.

"Really, because it looked to me as though you were dangerously close to laying on your back offering yourself to him."

"Don't be so crude!"

"Ah, little Anzu," he said, stopping her at the gates to another garden by grabbing her arm. "Do you really think that he had innocent thoughts in his mind? Anyone with eyes could tell that he wants you. Why do you think he was so eager to try and kiss you?" Her eyes flashing angrily, she jerked her arm out of his hand.

"Kissing is entirely different than...than _that_."

"What, still haven't experienced that part of life? Saving it for your true love?"

"Oh, shut up, nobody asked you!" she spat, stomping off ahead of him. Smirking he followed her, his long legs catching up to her easily. The two of them walked in silence for a long time. While her sassy attitude amused him, he was feeling nervous walking so openly through the palace grounds, even though he was under cover. If the Pharaoh hadn't been so preoccupied with trying to steal a kiss, Malik felt rather certain that he would have recognized him; after all, how many people in Egypt had lavender eyes? "Are you okay?" Anzu asked him after some time. "We'll be out of here soon."

"I'm fine," he smoothly replied. "Actually...It's been some time since I've even been able to look around and appreciate the changes they've made to the palace grounds." He looked around interestedly. "They certainly spare no expense when it comes to where the Pharaoh lives."

"So many gardens in just one place," Anzu sighed, "and the outer city doesn't even have one. It's such a waste. Do they think that commoners can't appreciate nature, too?"

"You should know this by now, Anzu. Nobody in the court cares about the commoners."

"And the Pharaoh?"

Malik paused a beat before saying, "I'll give him credit, he's always tried to make everyone happy without upsetting any of the classes. It's why he's so popular amongst the people. His heart is in a good place, but he defers to his priests and advisor much of the time unless he feels strongly about it. I've always felt that he was a good Pharaoh for Egypt, though, which is why I put him in my terms."

"Terms?" she repeated.

"My...partner...has reasons for wanting Atemu dead," Malik slowly said, glancing around him to make certain they were alone on the walkway towards one of the entrance gates. "And they're valid reasons. But my reasons for wanting him alive were equally valid and he respected mine because they were out of logic, rather than passion, as his were. And I made it clear who his real enemy should be and since then, he's been focusing his attention on that individual. His hate was directed at the wrong person, to put it succinctly."

"Then you like Atemu?"

"There's not much I hate about him. Are you even interested in him?"

His abrupt turn of topic startled her and she tripped over one of the walkway's bricks, but he pulled her back into step before she could fall. "What kind of question is that?"

"A reasonable one, considering I just interrupted what could have been a promising first kiss."

"How do you know it's my first kiss or not?" she spluttered, halting and turning to face him.

"Let's call it a hunch," he said dismissively. "But you haven't answered my question."

"I find him very...amiable," she said awkwardly.

"Amiable."

"Yes."

"I'm sure he would be thrilled by such a compliment," Malik said sarcastically.

"There's a lot to like about him, and he's very handsome, but I just...I don't know. I've never really had a guy like me this way before. It's new to me." Malik chuckled, shaking his head and returning to walking. She hastened to follow him. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"Because the man's in love with you and you don't even know how you feel about him. I don't expect you to find the humor in it. Come on, though, we have – " He broke off as they rounded a corner and nearly ran into High Priest Seto and Isis. Beside him, he could feel Anzu stiffen with shock, but he quickly bowed his head, praying that neither of them had heard him talking or had seen his eyes. Because Anzu was in robes, they wouldn't recognize her, but that didn't mean there might not be a confrontation. There was a stark silence while the four stood immobilized. He realized belatedly that the two priests might have nearly been caught in a compromising situation themselves.

"You're in my way," Seto finally spoke up. Anzu grabbed Malik's arm and shoved him aside, moving aside as well, bowing her head. Malik dared to glance up to see Isis gazing at him. He saw the recognition flash across her face, but she said nothing, turning away and following Seto around the corner he had just come from. Once they had disappeared, Anzu nudged him with her elbow and widened her eyes in question. He merely shook his head and returned to walking. They fast-walked the entire rest of the way, with Anzu murmuring her farewells to the guards. Once they were out of sight of the guards, they broke into a run, with Malik holding onto her wrist, nearly dragging her.

"Do you think they recognized you?" Anzu whispered hoarsely as soon as they had come to an empty back alley, panting from the length of the run.

"Isis did, but I don't think he did," Malik answered, not even breathing hard for the run. He pulled down the cover to his face. "That was too close for my liking. Damn your eyes for getting me involved in your ridiculous meetings with Atemu. That's the last time I chaperone, you're on your own next time."

"Don't be such a ninny."

"Ninny or not, I refuse. Now, come with me. We have to go meet Bakura since you took so damn long with the Pharaoh. Rishid will let us out."

"You know Rishid?" Anzu asked as he led the way through the alleys.

"Of course I know Rishid. He used to be my servant when I lived in the city."

When they got to the gate, Rishid let them through without hesitation and Anzu followed Malik hesitantly through the outer city, realizing that she was going farther than she ever had from home. When she started to slow, he turned around, asking, "What's the hold up? We don't have much more moonlight."

"Nothing," she muttered. "Sorry." Once they had gotten to the edge of the outer city, Malik had gone to the stables to get his horse while Anzu stood at the edge of the desert, staring at the sand dunes that were only outlined in the stark darkness because of the moonlight. "It's beautiful," she said when he came up beside her. "But...also kind of scary."

"Not once you get used to it," he told her. "We have to meet Bakura in a small oasis near here. Get on." She stared at him in disbelief. "I'm not going to kidnap you. Get on or I'll put you up there myself." After another moment of staring at him, she pulled herself onto the saddle. Malik swung up behind her and took the reins. "Comfortable?" She nodded mutely and then he leaned over, taking a better grip on the reins and dug his heels into the horse's flanks, causing the horse to jerk forward. Startled by the sudden movement, she grabbed ahold of his forearms, feeling unbalanced. "You won't fall," he told her. "Not unless you plan on falling out from underneath my arms."

"No, I wasn't..." Anzu was tense at first, nestled up against Malik with her dress bunched up around her knees and his chest leaning against her back. It was both an uncomfortable and strangely exhilarating experience. While Atemu smelled of incense and perfumes from the palace, Malik smelled of spices, sand, and leather from the horse's saddle. It was an interesting comparison, to say the least. As they rode for some minutes, she relaxed and looked round her. The horse was sending sand flying and the city seemed so far away. The moon was gleaming above them in a bright, white light, making the sands glisten dully and the shadows of the dunes seem less dark. She could feel cool, fresh air against her face, speckles of sand hitting her flesh, and yet it wasn't unpleasant. Smiling, she ran a hand over the horse's warm neck. _It's nice,_ she decided, and wondered if her parents would ever allow her to buy a horse.

It had been nearly twenty minutes that they had been riding when they came to the oasis. There was another horse grazing near a pool of water, the only sign of another person being there. Malik hopped down and then watched Anzu slip off, making sure she didn't fall on her face, before leading his horse next to the other one. Anzu wandered ahead of him, looking at the flora interestedly. She still didn't understand how plants were able to spring up from the desert like this. As she bent to look at a bright pink plant, it shifted suddenly and she was instead staring at someone's hand. "Uh..." Her eyes darted up and Bakura merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh..."

"Are you offering me something down there, because if so, I don't think this is the time," he told her with a taunting smirk. Anzu flushed at the insinuation and quickly straightened and stepped back. "Took you long enough to get here."

"She had an evening meeting with the Pharaoh," Malik said, shrugging unapologetically.

"She doesn't look like she had one," Bakura said, eyeing Anzu thoughtfully. "She looks like she's had a night of robbing in that outfit. What were you doing, watching?"

"Yes, actually, I was. Making sure he didn't kiss her."

"Always full of surprises, Atemu is. I thought he had a thing for men for awhile there. Anyway..." He folded his arms over his chest, meeting Anzu's gaze. "You have some things to tell us, I expect. Malik wouldn't have brought you here otherwise. Let's hear it, then."

Still feeling somewhat embarrassed by Bakura's words, but strangely at ease in the foreign setting, she explained all that Kalim had said and mentioned the few obscure remarks that Atemu had made that evening. Bakura's face had seemed to darken throughout her exposition and when she fell silent, she looked to Malik anxiously, unsure of the Thief Lord's mood, but Malik was staring out at the desert with a pensive expression. He had pulled his turban off sometime while she was talking so that his long hair was bared to the cool air. "If the Sennen Items are being effected by the Dark Magic, then it makes me wonder if there isn't a traitor in the High Priests," Malik finally spoke up. Anzu turned to him, alarmed.

"I was thinking the same thing," Bakura said grimly, "but three of them we can be certain of their loyalty. The Pharaoh obviously has no reason to do this – and he wouldn't, it's not in his nature to. Seto and Mahado have a history with the Pharaoh and even though Seto and Atemu often go head-to-head, he would never do anything to threaten the Pharaoh or Egypt. Mahado, for his part, has always been loyal to Atemu and is a close trusted friend. If he wanted something, Atemu would just give it to him – and has in many occasions."

"Isis would have no reason to go against Atemu, either," Malik said. "She was chosen by him and by the Sennen Tauk and worships him. I've never heard her utter a word against anything he does. Besides that, she would never try anything against him while Seto remains by the Pharaoh's side."

"Then that leaves Kalim, Akhenaden, and Shadii..."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Oops, another cliffhanger :P Thanks to everyone that left a review, I really appreciate the feedback and the support! With that said, be sure to leave a review on your way out letting me know what you liked/didn't like, suspects, etc.! Cheers!


	7. Chapter Seven

_Chapter Seven_

Anzu watched the two thieves anxiously, feeling the first spark of fear since she had learned of the village being attacked. The thought of some evil creature being unleashed hadn't frightened her nearly as much as the thought of one of the High Priests manipulating it from within the palace. Every day the Pharaoh's life could be at risk. "Do you really think that one of the High Priests are doing this?" Anzu asked in a soft voice. "What could any of them possibly gain from it?"

"That's just the problem," Malik sighed, turning towards her and dragging a hand through his hair. "Atemu is too gracious of a king, he would give them anything if they desired it. If the Sennen Items were acting as they usually were, then I wouldn't suggest it, but there's no possible way that Dark Magic would affect it this way by itself. At least, from what I know. You would know more on that subject than I would, Bakura."

"When I stole those three Sennen Items and used them for my own purposes when I summoned that demon, it was by harnessing the souls within the items, the souls of Kul Elna," Bakura said. "While I was using the Sennen Items, the others were less effective against the demon and weren't working properly. They hadn't realized that was why I had stolen the items, though, and so they likely just assumed it was due to the Dark Magic that their Sennen Items were reacting poorly. And yet, they didn't even think of that possibility until after they had sent those three to the village."

"And everyone still has their Sennen Items..."

"And they're not using it the same way I was or else they would be in that foul chamber in Kul Elna where the stone tablet for the items were, but I made certain that place was buried."

"Do they have to be in Kul Elna?" Anzu asked hesitantly. The two men looked at her in question. "I mean...to use the souls within the items...do they have to be in Kul Elna?"

"Yes...they have to be there and also at the place of the items' creation, which is impossible now. Whoever is doing this is using some other means of blocking the Sennen Items' powers."

"Wait, can we just hold on a moment?" Anzu said, holding her hands up to halt any other speculations they were going to make. "I know this is going to sound farfetched, but is it possible that this magician using Dark Magic could have created an almost identical item and switched it out?"

"Nobody knows how to make the Sennen Items," Malik told her.

"Nobody?" Bakura murmured, glancing at Malik. "The girl's already heard this much, you may as well be completely honest with her, Malik." When Malik remained silent, Bakura said, "There's only one _known_ person who can craft the Sennen Items and that's Akhenaden. He was the one that ordered the slaughter of those in Kul Elna and he was the one that crafted the Sennen Items. Which, if he _did _make a replica, there would be no purpose in it unless he did it to all seven of the items, but the High Priests are sworn to never leave their items unattended or from their body. Even when they're sleeping, they are with them. I know the Pharaoh sleeps with his Sennen Puzzle around his neck and I would bet that Isis and Shadii sleep with theirs around their neck at night, too."

"So we're back to your theory," she said a bit dismally.

"We're not even sure what that thing is doing in the village," Malik reminded them. "Or what they stumbled upon. We know for sure that the priests were attacked, based on what the Pharaoh said to Anzu earlier tonight, and that the creature was doing something according to Kalim, but he didn't specify what. We need more specifics."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you two so interested?" Anzu asked. "You never did tell me, only that you were curious. Given your intense interest, it must be something else." Malik looked to Bakura, who was considering Anzu thoughtfully and then simply shrugged, as if he figured she was too involved as it was anyway.

"Originally, we were concerned about Kul Elna," Bakura said carelessly. "The village is far out in the desert and is mostly unprotected. I've been building it from it's ruins the past few years. There isn't much out there, not many other villages are willing to trade with a village with our reputation. When we saw what had happened to that village, our first thought was that it was possible that it might happen to ours. Now, however, it's gotten a bit personal. I've not yet taken care of Akhenaden for what he's done to my people and if this thing intends to take down the entire capital city, then that's going to be an issue."

"Then...you're going to help the Pharaoh?"

"No, _you're_ going to help the Pharaoh."

"_What?_"

"Whatever ideas we come up with, you're going to take back to him, pretending they're yours."

"You've got to be joking!" Anzu stormed back and forth and then up to Bakura, poking a finger in his chest. "Just who do you think you are? If you guys want to help him, why don't you just negotiate with him?"

"Watch who you're poking," he snapped, smacking her hand away. "And as for that, I'm sure they know we've been in the city by now since I killed that guard and they probably know full well what we're up to and are expecting us to negotiate. We were lucky enough that you came stumbling into our path, so this keeps us out of their control and we get to continue to do as we please. And if you need further incentive, just remember that we've got enough dirt on you at this point that we can get you in all kinds of trouble _and_ you have your friends to worry about." Anzu fumed silently in front of him, glowering up at him. Bakura smirked and took her chin in his fingers. "Don't look so furious, I love my women mad at me." Abruptly, and without warning, his other hand swooped in behind her head and he had his lips on hers, shocking her. When he withdrew, he caught the hand she had thrown up to hit him with. "Ah, ah, ah." He shook a finger at her, smirking. "I've already taken it, you can't have it back. Or did you want some more?" He laughed, releasing her a bit roughly to where she stumbled back, and then turned to Malik. "Get her back to the city. I'll meet you back at Kul Elna, try not to take too long."

"I shouldn't be too far behind," Malik answered. Bakura waved a hand. Anzu was staring resolutely at the ground and only after she heard the sounds of hoofs on sand did she look up. Malik stared at her with an impassive expression and then made to touch her shoulder, but she turned her back to him. Sighing, he asked, "Are you okay? Or do you need a minute?"

"I'm fine," she snapped and wiped the tears that had started gathering in her eyes. She turned and stomped over to the horse, wiping her face. "It's not a big deal or anything, just a first kiss. Happens all the time, right? It's not like I care. Just wish it hadn't been him, I would have even rather it been Atemu."

"Anzu – " he made to grab her again, but she swatted his hand. "Dear Ra, woman, would you calm down a minute!" He took her shoulders and whipped her around. She stared wide-eyed at him, surprised by the sudden temper. She realized that he was genuinely angry, but at what she wasn't sure. And perhaps it was his anger or her own upset emotions, but after looking at him her vision blurred and she started to cry in earnest. "You know, this really isn't my strong suit," he grumbled uncomfortably as she bowed her head, sniffling. He bent down slightly and tipped her head up, wiping her tears from her cheeks brusquely. "Calm down and listen to me." She sniffled, rubbing at her face and staring at him blearily. "Be grateful he kissed you and didn't slap you or worse. Bakura isn't known for having a good temper. While you're doing this, you have to be careful. Both with him and at the palace now that we know there's a traitor there. Make sure that whatever we say only gets to Atemu and no one else."

"The least you could have done was stop me from saying something stupid to him," she muttered.

"What?" he asked in confusion, thinking they were already over the kiss situation.

"To Bakura!" she yelled, suddenly infuriated and pushed at him, forgetting he was a dangerous thief.

"Explain to me," he returned in a barely controlled voice, "what type of woman goes up to a known criminal and pokes him in the chest?" His own temper ignited, his voice rose a little. "You would think if you had any sense, you would know better than to do that!"

"Oh, just go away!" Anzu snarled, kicking up sand as she made her way out into the desert. "I don't even want to be around you."

"Oh, no you don't," he growled, rushing after her and moving to pick her up. "We need you, I'm not letting you die out in the desert."

"Don't – touch – me!" She stomped hard on his foot and made to run from him, but he made a grab for her and they both went tumbling down the sandy hill. From above them, the horse watched them interestedly. Anzu coughed up sand and started to get up to turn back into the desert away from Malik, but he grabbed around her waist, sending her falling into the sand again. She released a frustrated, stifled scream and thrashed about, but he was stronger and held her down, laying half his body across from hers.

"For Ra's sake, would you stop being irrational?" he snarled at her. When she stilled, she was breathing hard and was flushed from anger. She glared up at him, her eyes spitting hateful daggers. "Are you always this unreasonable when you get upset?" She ignored him, turning her head and staring into the sand with him half laying on her, his hands pinning her arms to her side. They spent several minutes that way until Anzu had calmed enough to where she was simply laying there, staring up at the starry sky, barely aware of Malik until he spoke again. "How about another compromise?"

"All of your compromises get me into messes, so no thank you," she replied tartly.

"Then tell me this: why does it bother you so much that Bakura was your first kiss?"

"I don't know him, I don't like him, and I don't want anything to do with him," was her ready response. He made a small sound of acknowledgement and then climbed to his feet, brushing himself off. Anzu watched him for a moment and then rose to her own feet, pulling off her sandy robes so that she was only in her light dress. It was almost too cool in the desert to be in just a dress. When she had shaken out all the sandy from her robes, she turned to see Malik starting up the hill back to the horse, shaking sand out of his hair. "If you'd just done something about your stupid partner, we wouldn't be sandy in the first place," she muttered darkly.

"I heard that," he called down to her, pausing at the top and looking down at her. "Hurry up."

Anzu spent the ride in mutinous silence and only when they drew close to stables did Malik say anything. After she had gotten off the horse, he said, "Don't forget what I said."

"I know how to be careful," she said in a testy tone, looking up at him. She hesitated and then, in spite of her mood towards him, said, "Take care of yourselves."

He chuckled. "We always do. Until next time." He turned the horse around and was galloping back into the desert to meet his partner.

Anzu sighed, exhausted, and then turned and walked through the outer city to the gate where she knocked softly, knowing that Rishid would still be on shift. When the gate opened, he eyed her disheveled and sandy robes, but in his usual thoughtful fashion, said nothing. By the time Anzu had crept back into her home, she was certain her mother, at least, was already in bed. After tearing the robes off and dressing in her nightclothes, she collapsed in bed, too tired to bother bathing herself and instantly fell asleep.

X

"Is everything alright?"

Atemu snapped out of his thoughts and straightened in the throne from his comfortable, leaning position where he was propped against the arm. He glanced over at Mahado, who was standing next to him with an unreadable expression. Because the other priests were currently involved in other projects, it was agreed that only one High Priest would remain in the throne room for the public audiences that day. Atemu had sent Akhenaden to the outer limits that day, while the others continued their research and perusal of scrolls, amongst their usual tasks. He had let his guard down briefly while waiting for the next audience, his mind drifting to two nights ago when he had seen Anzu. He had not seen her since that evening meeting, but as he had been absorbed in other things, he was unbothered by that fact, knowing how difficult it would be to see her anyway. He had thought about that night frequently to ease his mind, knowing that such a woman existed. "Of course," he swiftly answered Mahado, smiling. "Just lost in thought."

Mahado stared at him with his dark eyes for such a long time that he felt as though he were trying to extract his soul from him. "Is there something you're keeping from me?" he asked in such a monotonous, neutral tone that Atemu shifted uncomfortably. It was clear that Mahado either suspected him of something or already knew.

"Not hiding," he said, "just keeping to myself. You'd sully the memory."

"As your friend and your High Priest, I really wish you would listen to my advice," Mahado said and by his cool tone, Atemu knew that the latter male was irritated.

"You know how much I value your opinion."

"And yet you continue to ignore it. If the other High Priests knew of your reckless behavior, they would insist upon sending the woman to the Lower Kingdom."

"I have no intention upon putting her in danger," Atemu sighed. "I know that it is selfish of me...but I wanted to see her, without the tension of the palace or any interruptions. She was disguised well...nobody would have guessed that it was her. I'm not completely foolish and I know that the girl isn't either. It eases my mind, being around her. She radiates energy, a bright, wonderful creature..."

"I've warned you against being so needlessly romantic," Mahado said with a quelling tone. "This is going to cause nothing but distractions for you – it already has."

"Mahado, when you experience this type of feeling, then you may come and complain about my romantic spirit," he replied pointedly as the doors opened and the guard entered with a large group of villagers. "It is far harder to suppress these feelings than you would think." Mahado offered to response to this and as the doors shut behind the villagers, Atemu turned back to the kneeling group.

"Rise," Mahado called out, "and state your name and reason for approaching the Pharaoh at this day."

All of the villagers rose and one stepped forward, saying, "My name is Hanukaden, representing the Al-Dalin village of the Lower Kingdom. My Pharaoh, we have come due to a great disturbance within the land. Where our village is located, it is a fertile area, close to the Nile, and there are many villages near there. We have never experiences such occurrences that we have seen and I beg of you, listen to our problems." Atemu waved a hand for him to continue. "In the past four days, a great plague of some kind has fallen upon our villages. Our livestock lies dying, suddenly rotting when the day before it was well. Our children are born still and lifeless, our skin has broken out in great, pus-filled boils. There has been no change in our lifestyle. We are the few that have survived the boils and traveled here for salvation, fearing that it might be something in the village, and to tell the Pharaoh. We traveled along the Nile and asked the other villagers along the Nile and they were not experiencing such things, so we know that it cannot be the water. Is it the gods that curse us so? Have we done something to displease them?"

"This is a serious concern," Mahado murmured to Atemu lowly. "It must be the Dark Magic..."

"Tell me," Atemu spoke up to the villagers, "has there been any...unusual actions in the villagers? Sudden violence or temper, perhaps?"

There was a low murmur as the villagers spoke and then Hanukaden leaned back, his lined, weathered face creased in concern as he listened to what one of the others said to him. Turning back, he said, "There have been more disputes amongst the villagers recently over petty things. People that are usually kind have turned stingy and easy to anger."

"And besides their death, have the animals in the village been restless at all?"

"There was a day...shortly before this started...that they grew a bit wild and uneasy. But they seemed to calm by night, so we thought nothing of it."

"I see...Sirs, I understand your feeling of despair well. There is more that will need to be known, but for now, please rest. I will have servants show you a place to sleep. In the meantime, allow me to gather the High Priests. High Priests Mahado and Shadii will come to speak with you further after sundown."

"Thank you, my Pharaoh." Hanukaden knelt and the other villagers mimicked him behind him. Mahado called out and a moment later, a few servants were parading the group out. Atemu watched them carefully, counting how many men were down there.

"Twenty-three men, including Hanukaden," Atemu murmured after they were gone and the doors had closed behind them. "Only a handful of men were able to escape the destruction of this creature...yet it did not kill the way it did the other village...why?"

"It must have some purpose in doing it," Mahado said in a level voice. "This type of torture...is it to cause the people pain and to frighten them? It didn't allow it to be seen, unlike when it attacked Seto and the others. There must be some explanation for this type of behavior...unless it is not the same one and something else is at hand."

"It's best not to speculate too much...go gather the others while I take care of the remainder of the audiences."

It was some time before Mahado returned with the other High Priests and Atemu was sitting back in his throne, holding his Sennen Puzzle with one of his hands, a dark, thoughtful look on his face. Siamun Muran cleared his throat and gently touched Atemu on the shoulder. The Pharaoh stirred, looking to his advisor and giving a small, grim smile, before his eyes turned to the others. Hepshut was hovering some feet behind Siamun Muran, more or less ignored by the group. Atemu surveyed the group and then rose to his feet, giving a heavy sigh. "How well do we know the terrain in the desert?" he asked at last, staring down at the empty throne room.

"...Pharaoh?" Akhenaden spoke up, sounding faintly confused.

"These attacks are happening to desert villages. This one is being attacked by plagues, but I'm certain that it's the same culprit – or something similar. But it's not close to the city, further up in the Lower Kingdom on the Nile. How well does everyone know the desert?"

There was a silence as they glanced at each other before Isis said in a soft voice, "Many of my family come from the desert, but only the area surrounding the city. We did not venture far from our comfort zone."

"I know only the fertile valley at the sea," Shadii added.

"And the rest of you were born and raised in the city," Atemu murmured, his eyes skimming over Seto, Mahado, Kalim, and Akhenaden. "This is troublesome..." _I know that neither Mahado or Seto want to ask the thieves for help, but this problem is becoming more pressing...While the first village was near the city, it still wasn't in the direct adjacent area...and this other village is even further and it sounds as if these plagues have been happening for awhile. We're not even sure if they had been happening before the other village was attacked... _"There's a lot in the desert that we don't know about yet," he said at last. "There could be multiple villages affected."

"My Pharaoh, with all due respect, we really need to focus on protecting the city," Kalim said. "Already we have seen that this evil is trying to separate the High Priests. It may be necessary to sacrifice some of the villages to keep the people here safe."

"You expect me to sacrifice all of those people out there?" Atemu asked in a sharp tone. "While there are many people in the city, we wouldn't be able to survive without the work of those in the villages. And you want me to repay them by throwing them away to this evil? No." He stepped down the staircase and paused on the steps, turning around, "Find out where Thief Lord Bakura is or lure him here. We need him." As they all moved to talk, he raised a hand. "This is my final word. Forgive me, but none of you have interests in the village communities and I will do what is best for my people and for myself. Reflect on your values as High Priests in the meantime. Mahado and Shadii, please go speak to the villagers from Al-Dalin after sundown and get as much information as you can from them. I particularly want to know how long ago this plague began, to see if it happened before the other village." He turned then and left them staring after him in shock, startled by the sudden brusqueness.

_It had to be done,_ Atemu thought, leaving the throne room. _I regret being harsh with them, but I know what their responses would be. Kalim was once a royal guard, so of course he would value the capitol above all else, but I know that Akhenaden and the others born in the city would feel the same way. Akhenaden would feel the strongest about this, being my uncle. The only one who was raised in the village had been Shadii, but I can't even guarantee his loyalty regarding this. _He sighed heavily and paused, folding his arms across his chest. He could remember Anzu's words in his mind, advising him to respect his priests' desire to protect him. _This is the only way that I can protect both them and myself, _he thought._ Seto and Mahado would prefer me to wait until things are too difficult to handle, but I will have to lower my pride. It's become too dangerous. My instincts tell me that there will be more refugees of villages that will come to the city for salvation. It's only a matter of time before this situation gets out to the public. I can't afford to wait in case something else is happening out there that we're not aware of yet. There is too much time between events occurring and when the news arrives to us. _

"My Pharaoh." Atemu turned to see that Isis had ran after him. She paused, breathing a bit hard and then pressed her hand to her chest, her fingertips brushing against her Sennen Tauk. "May I have a word with you? It's not to discuss your decision, but...I do have some information that I should have told you sooner."

His eyes softened as he quietly asked, "Is it about Malik?" Her eyes darted up to him and her lips pursed slightly. "Come, let's take a walk." They walked for a bit and when they were far enough from the throne room, he said, "Did you see him?"

"I...did...but I didn't talk to him or even tell anyone else that it was him. I was worried, though, because I didn't recognize the woman he was with, and they were on the palace grounds." She paused and clasped her hands in front of her. "Two nights ago, Seto and I were walking the grounds and we saw them. At first, I didn't recognize him because he was heavily disguised under robes and he tried to hide his eyes from me, but I could never forget my brother's eyes. He was with a woman who was also disguised in robes. The situation was strange in itself because Malik would usually never risk running into me and to so brazenly walk around the palace grounds in full view..."

"Wait..." A cold feeling washed through Atemu's body as he remembered the meeting with Anzu two nights ago. He could recall the robed servant suddenly looming up behind Anzu, his cold eyes appraising him with disapproval. _Those eyes...Dear Ra, how could I not have recognized them then?_ "This woman, did she have blue eyes and scarab pins holding her face cover?"

"Yes, I was under the impression that she was wealthy based on the quality of the robes," Isis answered. "Pharaoh...do you know the woman?"

"There are many women in the court," Atemu said slowly, "but she sounds familiar to one of the women I saw in the gardens that night."

"I know my brother, Pharaoh, and he would never have taken that type of risk, much less without Bakura nearby. She must be connected somehow. If Malik is moving around in the inner city and the palace grounds, I'm worried that they might have a spy here so that they can move more easily...And I also think that, if they are willing to take these risks, that things might be worse than we believed."

"We won't know until we corner them, but it seems that they've become less cautious. It might be better to limit our search to the inner city and the palace, then."

"I agree. But Pharaoh, please...I would not like this conversation to be revealed to the other High Priests. Some of them...are not as understanding...I was afraid to tell you when it happened, as Malik _is_ the partner of Bakura's..."

"Yes, he is," Atemu sighed, "but you know...I feel that it is thanks to Malik that Bakura has stopped trying to take my life every other week." Isis blinked in surprise and then smiled faintly.

"Malik always respected you as a king...," she said softly. Her clasped hands tightened and she closed her eyes, as though to hold back tears and then she straightened and dropped her hands. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"Of course, Isis," he said smiling. "Don't worry, this conversation will stay between us. Let me take care of the matter of the woman, though, and please focus on the Thief Lord. I know how zealous they can get when it comes to him, especially Seto. I'll need your calm logic to balance them."

"I'll do my best." She bowed slightly and then turned and left to return to the other priests.

Atemu watched her for a long time and after she turned the corner, he leaned against the wall, pressing his hand against his mouth. He hadn't been aware of how frightened he was until he realized that his hands were shaking. Alarmed by his own reaction, he lifted his hands and stared at them before dropping them, tilting his head back. _Anzu...What have you gotten yourself involved in? _Any normal king would have suspected her of foul play, but he had always been able to grasp a person's character well and Anzu had been so earnest when speaking with him. He had never sensed any bad intentions towards him, nor had her words or actions ever seemed feigned. Yet, the fact remained that she had been with Malik, had passed him off as her servant. _Why would she have anything to do with those thieves? _He pushed off from the wall and then glanced down at his hands. _Damn it, they won't stop shaking. _He realized that it wasn't because he was afraid of his own life, but he feared that Anzu had gotten mixed up in something dangerous.

_I can't do anything about it right now, _he thought, turning back down the hall. _It will look too suspicious to Isis if I call her to the palace today...I'll ask Hepshut to bring her with him tomorrow._

X

"They're doing what?" Anzu asked, whipping around from cooking the stew with Shizuka to look at Jounouchi.

"I overheard High Priest Kalim talking to High Priest Seto in the market up there," Jounouchi said casually, chomping on a piece of apple and jerking a thumb towards the inner city. "The Pharaoh's ordered heavy protection up in the inner city and the palace grounds because the Thief Lord's been sneaking in and they want to catch him. They were talking about how it would be harder to lure him out because of his partner and Kalim was saying something about why did the Pharaoh want him so bad now." Jounouchi shrugged. "Sounded weird, if you ask me. Sounds like something weird is going on up there."

"You haven't heard about it, Anzu?" Shizuka asked, stirring the pot and looking up at her friend. Anzu shook her head and turned away, continuing to chop at the carrots. "I wonder if he killed someone really important or the Pharaoh's been getting too many complaints."

"Sounds like he's put all the High Priests on the job," Jounouchi said around a mouthful of food.

_Bakura said that they would expect him and Malik to negotiate with the Pharaoh,_ she thought, _but it sounds like they're going to force them out and make them do what they want. This can't be good...Something must have happened to make Atemu decide this. He has no way of contacting Bakura or Malik, so this is the only way to draw them out. But why in just the inner city and the palace? Because Bakura killed that guard?_ Anzu glanced beside her at Shizuka, who was smiling as she cooked. "By the way...you guys told me you've been getting left gifts lately...when was the last time you were left something?"

"Hmm?" Shizuka looked at her with a puzzled smile. "Why do you think I'm making a stew today? I found some vegetables on the table this morning while Jounouchi and I went out to get water."

"Oh...I see." Anzu laughed slightly. _They must be near today. I haven't even been able to talk to Atemu yet and I'm afraid to even try now without being implicated._

"I wonder who could be doing it, anyway?"

"Well, you two look a lot better since it's been happening," Anzu remarked. Shizuka laughed and blushed prettily. It was a true enough statement. Since Malik had been leaving them gifts, mostly food supplies, their usual thin appearance had rounded out somewhat and while Shizuka had always been attractive, she looked even more beautiful now with proper nutrition. Anzu was thankful that he had enough forethought to give them items they could actually use. He had once dropped some cheap, but new, blankets. Nothing was extravagant, but to Jounouchi and Shizuka, who had hardly anything, it was as if the gods were blessing them with good fortune. _I'm so glad that they're happy...,_ Anzu thought, smiling to herself. _It's worth the stress of helping those two._

"I'm thankful for whoever is looking out for us," Shizuka said quietly.

"Me too," Anzu said sincerely. After a thoughtful pause, she asked, "Have...either of you heard of Kul Elna?" _Just in case Malik and Bakura decide to not risk coming into the inner city..._

"Kul Elna is a cursed place," Jounouchi spoke up seriously, causing the two females to turn to him. "It's not somewhere that you'd ever want to go. It used to be a village of nothing but criminals. It was burned to the ground a long time ago, though. Nobody would even live there, regardless of how fertile the land is near it."

"Why do you say it's cursed, brother?" Shizuka asked in concern.

"Just from what I've heard. A lot bad things happen to people that went near there shortly after it was burned. There are tons of stories about people being attacked or killed by specters. The place has bad spirits that are there. No one will go near it now."

_Specters or thieves? _Anzu wondered to herself.

Anzu left shortly before sundown and when she arrived home, her parents weren't yet home. As she bathed and changed her clothes, she heard her parents enter downstairs, likely coming from temple. Hearing her father's tense tone, she paused, catching Bakura's name in the conversation. Creeping out of her room, she stepped carefully so that she was hidden in the shadows at the top of the steps. "...and he expects that despicable Bakura to help us? Even if we manage to catch Bakura or get him to stop to tell him to meet with the Pharaoh, there's no way he'll help so easily!" her father was saying.

"But after this other village was ruined by the plagues...don't you think that even the Thief Lord would see that it would be advantageous for him to meet with the Pharaoh? Wherever he hides away, surely it is in the desert where it is most affected."

"That thief is nothing but selfish! He'll twist the compromise and his mere presence will put the Pharaoh's life in danger."

"But...if he does keep his compromise – "

"Do you really think that the High Priests will allow the Pharaoh to release him, after the type of crimes he's committed?" Hepshut scoffed. "After this is finished, he'll likely be executed. Him _and_ his partner."

Anzu clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp of shock and hurried back in her room, sitting on her bed, her hand still covering her mouth. It seemed reasonable, of course, that they would be killed since they were the most infamous criminals in all of Egypt, but Anzu felt her heart freeze in terror. _I have to warn them,_ she thought, her heart beating hard in her chest. _I know they must be in the city, but where? I have to get them out of here before the guards find them!_

Anzu waited until her parents left to court, giving their usual invitation and then bidding her goodnight. As soon as they left, she threw a light cloak over her expensive garb and left her home, heading towards the palace. There was a horrible amount of guards around, enough to make even her nervous. They merely nodded in her direction, suspecting her to be attending court. Anzu was unsure of where she would be able to find the thieves, but as they were such experts in their concealment, she doubted that she would be able to find them, anyway. She secretly hoped that they would be able to find her instead. She glanced behind her and then slipped into the alleys, rushing through them, feeling desperate and panic-stricken. As she went dashing past another darkened alley, a hand shot out and pulled her. She opened her mouth in an instinctive cry, but another hand pressed against her lips. She felt herself pressed against the wall and a warm body near hers. Her eyes flew up to search the shadows and the tension escaped her body in relief. Malik released her arm and put a finger to his lips, slowly dropping his other hand from her mouth.

"What are you doing out on the streets?" he whispered harshly.

"I had to find you."

"We were waiting until everyone went to court to come visit you at your home," he said with a disapproving look. "Security's gotten so tight that it's been a rough day getting around. We've been staying in the outer city for the most part since they moved most of the guards from there. What in Ra's name got you so flustered?"

"Listen, you have to get Bakura and leave," she whispered urgently, grabbing a hold of his robes. He wasn't even wearing a turban, she realized. "They're trying to catch you two and if you get caught, you can't agree to their terms. They'll kill you both."

"Anzu, calm down," he said, grabbing her hands and shaking her a bit. His eyes were slightly concerned as he bent down, his gaze searching her face. "You look as if you've seen death. What did you overhear? Did something happen?"

"Please, Malik, just – " She broke off and Malik stiffened and then grabbed Anzu, throwing them out of the alley just as a shot of light struck where they had been a moment ago. When Anzu looked back, there was the Sennen Eye glowing from the alley.

"I should've expected as much from the partner of Bakura," a drawling voice remarked and as the shadows returned and Anzu's eyesight adjusted again, she saw the High Priest Seto standing in the alley with two guards and High Priestess Isis standing a few steps behind them with a guarded expression. "I guess the Pharaoh's instincts were right after all. I'm a little surprised to have caught you first." He raised his Sennen Rod up, tapping it against his chin. "But...I'm a little more interested in that you two managed to actually find a friend in the city. And Hepshut's daughter, no less."

"What, did another village get wiped out under your watch?" Malik sneered. "I always knew the priesthood was worthless, but to let so many villagers get slaughtered in a manner of seconds, the High Priests must have gotten even more useless than when I last left."

Without answering, Seto flung his Sennen Rod out and another beam of light shot towards them, but Malik simply grabbed Malik and stepped out of the way, moving further down the alley. Seto stepped out of the alley, his face dark with rage. "Don't talk to me about the priesthood, worm," he coolly said. "You were a wasted effort. They should have seen you would amount to nothing."

"That is a matter of opinion, little priest," Malik returned with a smile. "Personally I feel I came up on top. I don't have to lick the Pharaoh's feet whenever he tells me to. But you've been doing it for so long, maybe you think it's normal."

"Seto, no!" Isis grabbed his arm and the shot of light hit the wall and ricocheted up towards the sky. There was a tense silence where Malik held Anzu close to him, his eyes narrowing on the group suspiciously. His body was ready for flight. "Our mission isn't to kill him! The Pharaoh wants him!"

"No," Seto said with deliberate calm, "they want Bakura. Malik isn't useful for the Pharaoh. Get out of my way, Isis, it's time we dealt with your brother once and for all."

"No!"

"Restrain her!" he spat at the guards, who obediently grabbed a hold of her.

"Get your hands off me!" Isis thrashed against them. "I am the High Priestess! Seto, please! Don't do this!"

"You're mine now," Seto said with an unpleasant smile, ignoring Isis and unsheathing the dagger within the Sennen Rod.

"That's what you think, stupid priest," Malik laughed and all in an instant, there was a flash of light and Anzu was being shoved towards the nearest alleyway. There was a flutter of robes and as Anzu stumbled, she looked back to see that the light had been from Isis's Sennen Tauk. The guards holding her dropped and Malik had obscured Seto's vision with his robes. Anzu watched as Malik followed his robes, falling down on the High Priest with a dagger in hand. The dagger shot out and ripped through the robes and Anzu was certain it had struck the latter male. A moment later, Malik sprang from him, kicking Seto in the chest so he went sprawling on top of Isis. He turned and ran to Anzu, grabbing her wrist, pulling her along the alleyway. As they were able to finally burst out of the alley, Seto had caught up and had alerted the other guards on the street. "Well, well, you recovered fast."

"You're going to die tonight, you bastard," Seto growled. A cut near his shoulder and hip was dripping with blood. "Whether I die trying or not, you're not leaving this city."

"That sounds dramatic and all, but I'm not quite ready to die yet," Malik said cheerfully enough.

Laughing, Seto asked sarcastically, "Oh? And you're going to kill all of these guards and me by yourself?"

"Yes," Malik replied pleasantly enough and then nudged Anzu with his foot. She glanced up at him and his shoulder twitched to the side, as if warning her. "And, as it happens, I'd like to get it down with quickly, so – " Anzu darted to the side as he swung into action. Anzu took cover near a crate, watching fearfully as Malik's hands darted out, both holding daggers. His slender body moved quickly and his hands darted forward into the bodies of the guards. Anzu saw Seto approaching with grim determination near the end and knew that he was planning to sneak upon Malik when he was occupied. She looked around and found a wooden plank stuck in a barrel and grabbed it, hefting into her hands. She paused, seeing Isis standing a few feet away, but the woman merely stared back at Anzu and said nothing, not even moving. Anzu turned away from her and hurried up behind Seto. Just as he made to turn, she swung the plank as hard as she could against his skull.

"Nice job, Anzu," a voice came from behind her and she turned in surprise to see Bakura.

"You bitch!" Seto howled, turning slightly and seeing her.

"There are more guards coming," Malik said, "and we're not armed for this. We need to go, Bakura."

"Right. Grab the girl."

Malik hauled Anzu onto his shoulder, who dealt with the manhandling without a word, clinging onto his back as the two thieves ran through the city. She knew that they were wading through guards and clenched her eyes tight, praying to the gods that they were able to leave safely. They were able to get to the gate and she was surprised to find that outside the gate were Bakura and Malik's horses and the gate was already clear. "I had a feeling something like this was going to happen," Bakura said, throwing himself onto the horse as Malik helped Anzu onto his and got on behind her, "so I prepared just in case."

"Damn that fucking priest," Malik growled as, a moment later, there was an explosion of sound and glancing back, he saw that guards were following them on horseback. "He starts sleeping with my sister and suddenly has a vendetta against me. Hold on, Anzu, this is going to be a bit bumpy for a minute."

Anzu clung to the horse and could feel the beast sweating from the exertion of running so hard. Once they broke into the desert and had been pushing their horses further from the city, it seemed as though the guards had finally no choice but to give up, having no way of navigating the deserts. Only when they were positive that the guards were nowhere near did they slow, letting their horses huff and catch their breath. Behind her, Malik released a long sigh and she glanced up at him to see him push a hand through his hair exhaustedly. She realized there was blood all over him and it had gotten all over her white dress. She was covered in someone else's blood.

"I guess it can't be helped," Bakura grunted, drawing his horse alongside Malik and eyeing Anzu. "There's no way that she'll be able to go back now since both Seto and Isis saw her with you. Not to mention, she clubbed Seto in the head." He paused and then leaned forward to look at her. "Are you okay, girl?"

"I'm fine," she answered flatly. _That's right...there's no way that I can go back to the city now after what I did. I attacked a High Priest, I was caught consorting with thieves, and then I ran off with them._ Somehow, the thought didn't quite bother her. "Can we stop for a minute?" Malik obliged her and she slid off the horse none too gracefully. The two also paused, slipping off their horses to give the creatures some rest. Anzu stumbled forward and then looked down at her bloodied dress. Her stomach rolled in nausea and she fell to her knees, retching. She felt someone pull her hair from her face and a hand on her back as she coughed. Tears spilled from her eyes as she released the contents of her stomach and she knelt for a moment, shaking and breathing hard.

When she looked up, Malik was crouching next to her. He helped her to her feet and she wiped her eyes away and then her mouth, stepping away from the foul smell of her own vomit. Looking back at Malik, there was an unreadable expression on his face and she stared at him, halting in her footsteps. "It's not going to get easier from here on," he told her frankly.

"I know," she said wearily. She felt tears build in her eyes and her knees buckled and she landed in the sand, pressing her hands to her face and crying. "I-I'm not crying because I can't g-go back to the city, b-but...this wasn't how...how I thought I would go. H-he'll think I had been be-betraying him the entire time...and th-that's not true."

"Him?" Bakura spoke up in confusion, having come over after seeing her breakdown. "Ah. The Pharaoh..." She felt a hand on her shoulder and sniffed, removing her hands to see Bakura kneeling next to her. Warily, she blinked blearily at him, sniffling. "You never purposely used him to get any information, so I don't think he'll see it that way. He's not that stupid. If there's one thing that idiot Pharaoh is good at understanding, it's people." He rose to his feet and Anzu got to her feet unsteadily, rubbing her eyes, watching Bakura return to the horses before she looked at Malik, who had a wry look on his face.

"Bakura knows a thing or two," Malik told her when he saw her look at him. "I would take his word for it." He held a hand out to her. "Come on, it's a long ride."

"To where?" she asked, taking his hand.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Where else? To Kul Elna."

_TBC_

X

DIS: Ah, and the story continues...I decided to post this chapter a little earlier since I've been posting late recently. As always, thanks to those who reviewed:) I love the feedback and am especially glad that there are people emphasizing with Atemu. He's in a tough situation. Please leave a review on your way out, letting me know how you liked the chapter! Did I portray the action well or no? Cheers!


	8. Chapter Eight

_Chapter Eight_

Atemu stepped into the infirmary with Siamun Muran, dressed loosely. As soon as a guard had sent word of what had happened, Atemu had called for Siamun Muran and sent a messenger out to get Hepshut and the other High Priests. All the guard had said was that a woman had been captured by the thieves, but Atemu already knew well who it was. As he entered the infirmary and saw Seto getting treated for his wounds, he felt as though his entire body was made of lead. The entire situation had gotten more complicated and given Seto's injuries, it was clear his High Priest was going to be in pain for some time. Isis was standing near the bed, but the air was tense between Seto and her and Atemu suspected that Malik had been involved in the incident that night. As Atemu came up, Seto brushed off the servant and said furiously, "Well, I hope you're happy."

"Happy?" Atemu repeated softly.

"It wasn't too difficult in finding _Malik_, but that's only because he's been meeting Hepshut's daughter in the city. For what reason, I can only imagine. It's not as if she isn't able to come in and out of the palace as she pleases, she likely was able to get all kinds of information." As Seto opened his mouth to say more, the doors opened and Mahado and Kalim entered the infirmary. Seto barely glanced at them, continuing on ruthlessly, "I would like to think that Malik was simply forcing her, but the girl tried to break my skull open by hitting me with a wooden plank!"

"What's going on?" Mahado asked, stepping forward and glancing between the two. "What girl are you talking about?"

"Hepshut's daughter," Seto replied disgustedly. "She's been consorting with those thieves, helping them get information." Mahado glanced at Atemu, but the Pharaoh said nothing to the accusation. "And, on top of _that_ fiasco," he threw a pointing finger to Isis as he turned on her, "_you_ did nothing and even tried to stop me from killing that damned brother of yours! And stood back and did nothing to help while he was slaughtering our guards."

"The Pharaoh told us to return him alive," Isis coldly answered.

"He said to bring _Bakura_ back!"

"What happened to Anzu?" Atemu spoke up, interrupting their argument. The both turned their eyes to him, Seto looking suspicious.

"I never told you what her name was," he said slowly.

"I know," Atemu said heavily, looking to him. "I've been talking with Anzu for some time now. What happened to her?"

"Malik kept her safe during the fight," Isis told him, ignoring Seto's glare. "He seemed to be protecting her."

"Protecting," Seto snorted.

"My Pharaoh," Kalim suddenly spoke up. "Forgive me. I...I slipped and mentioned things that girl might have used as information for the thieves...please forgive my blunder..."

"It would figure you would, Kalim!" Seto snarled temperamentally.

"Enough, Seto," Atemu cut in, sighing. "I also let slip some information. Although it was vague, it still could have been useful for the thieves. I don't think Anzu meant any harm, though. She was only ever concerned with the safety of the kingdom. I never sensed any lies from her and even without my Sennen Puzzle, I felt that she was a good person."

"What reason did they have for taking her, if she is such a good person?"

"Anzu had already revealed her association with them and had attacked you. They likely knew that she wouldn't be able to stay in the city safely, so taking her with them from the city was the better choice. It seems that Malik was protecting her, after all. If they cared nothing for her, they would have left her. It would have been more convenient and certainly easier than to drag a girl along with them while trying to escape the city."

A long silence stretched over the infirmary while they all absorbed what the Pharaoh had said.

"What...do we do now, my Pharaoh?" Kalim asked hesitantly.

"For now, we need to rest," Atemu said quietly, "and I need to think. Seto, please be mindful of your health. I'll need you in the future. Isis, would you please come with me?" Atemu gestured for Siamun Muran to wait before follow them and then left the infirmary with Isis. After they had walked some paces away from the infirmary, he asked her, "Do you know why Anzu was in the city in the first place?"

"From what I heard, she didn't want Malik and Bakura to compromise with us," Isis said steadily. "She must have overheard someone saying that we were planning to kill them after they helped us." Atemu nodded slowly, his expression somber. "Pharaoh...you knew it was her when I told you, didn't you?"

"Hm? Ah...yes."

"I know that Seto would disagree with me, but I don't think that she had bad intentions and I know my brother. He never would have gone to the lengths he did to protect that girl if she had some ulterior motive. Whatever reason she had for helping them, I don't believe it was to harm anyone."

"You put my mind at ease, Isis," Atemu said with a smile, "but are you only doing it for that reason?"

"No," Isis shook her head, "there would be no point in my telling you a lie. Malik hates women, he wouldn't have risked himself for just a girl spying for them."

"Thank you...but this leaves us with a troubling question, whether we ought to pursue them or not. I still need their help and Malik's run-in with Seto will have left them bitter towards us...and I'm not comfortable having Anzu out there in the desert."

"I know my brother best and might be able to find his whereabouts, but it may take some time."

Atemu nodded and then spotted Hepshut hurrying towards them. "That's fine...but try not to take too much time, Isis." Hepshut stopped in front of them and bowed low.

"My Pharaoh, I got your message about my daughter. Has...has something happened?"

Atemu considered how best to explain Anzu's disappearance and eyed Hepshut's anxious face, recalling Anzu telling him how loyal her father was to him. Hepshut would take her involvement with the thieves as a direct betrayal, much like Seto had, and so he felt it was best to keep the explanation short and to the point to avoid too much heartache. It would harm Hepshut more if he knew the truth of what Anzu had been doing. "Hepshut, I'm afraid your daughter was taken by the Thief Lord and his partner tonight." The man gaped at him in horror and took a step back and sank to the floor, his head in his hands, his black wig coming askew. "She was involved in a fight between the guards and the thieves and was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time." Isis glanced at him, but said nothing.

"Anzu...dear Ra...what will happen to her?" Hepshut whispered hoarsely.

"We must rely upon the gods in times like this," Atemu said, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We must put our faith in them."

X

Anzu heard voices near and shifted, blinking as she woke up. She was briefly alarmed by her settings and then remembered the night before and shifted beneath the expensive, well-made cotton blanket, rubbing her face. Malik had borrowed women's clothing from another villager after they had gotten to Kul Elna and showed her where she could bathe. She had scrubbed at her skin until it was red and stinging and after she had changed, she fell asleep almost immediately when Malik showed her his bed, saying that he'd sleep with Bakura for the night. Pushing the blanket away, she stepped gingerly onto the animal pelts on the floor and then pushed the silk curtains from the doorway, stepping out into the hall. When she got to the living area, Malik and Bakura were crouched over a map. Bakura paused, looking up and eyeing her thoughtfully before nudging Malik sharply. "Look who's awake," Bakura said, smiling and his eyes skimmed over her again with a touch of interest.

"Don't even try kissing me again," Anzu said, her eyes narrowing.

"Ah, and back to her same spitfire attitude, I see. Don't deny it, you liked it."

"I wanted to set my lips on fire afterward."

"Then perhaps a kiss from Malik would suit you better?" Bakura suggested. Malik had been ignoring the entire exchange and scowled at Bakura, raising his eyes to him irritably.

"I'll pass on kisses from anyone, thank you very much," Anzu said tartly and then moved to the low table, plopping on the floor and leaning over to look at the map. "What's this?"

"These are maps that show where the villages are in the desert," Malik explained, as though his kisses hadn't just been rejected by a woman. "It's separated by the kingdoms, but these maps are very rare and not very accurate. This set is the only accurate one that we've been able to acquire, not even the palace has a good set of maps of the desert areas."

"That's nice and all, but what exactly are we doing with these maps? I thought you two knew the desert without maps."

"We do, but how do you think we got as good as we did?" Bakura asked. "By wandering around the desert? No. I had a few specific villages along the Nile that I liked that I had found, but Malik brought me this map set when we became partners and we started exploring using it. We've added marks on it for new villages that have popped up since we've been using it, but of course it's probably not complete. What we're concerned with the most are the villages nearest to us. If anything unusual happens to them, then we'll know that Kul Elna will be in danger, as well."

"That seems dangerous...," Anzu said, frowning. "We won't have time to prepare ourselves, will we?"

"This was originally a thieving community, don't forget. They know how to move quickly. At least, the able-bodied ones will be able to."

"There's not many young men here," Malik explained at Anzu's confused glance. "There are a few men that can still fight, but for the most part the people here are only trained in thief skills, like the women. Other than that, we have a lot of elderly and children. Which is why we have to run rather than try to stand our ground."

"Not that we could anyway." Bakura rose to his feet. "I'm going to go take care of those things that I spoke about. I'll be back."

"Yeah, yeah, don't take your time." Bakura waved a hand as he headed to the door. "I mean it!" Malik called after him. "Don't stop to play with those damned women by the stables! We don't have time for it!"

"Don't act like my wife," Bakura said airily before shutting the door.

"Ugh." Malik shook his head in disgust and then turned to look at Anzu, who was smoothing her hands over her hair to calm the stray hairs. "Hold on." He put up a finger and got up and returned with a brush and sat down, pointing in front of him. "Come here." Anzu scooted over to him and felt his hand around her neck as he brushed her hair with his other hand. She wasn't sure why, but she was feeling unusually shy with him. Malik could have left her to deal with the repercussions of her agreement with them, but instead, he had protected her during the fight with Seto and had taken her with them. Even more embarrassing, he had seen her vomit and start crying. Strangely enough, he had never laughed at her and not even Bakura had tried to tease about it, for which she was thankful. He had been surprisingly gentle with her that night when he put her to bed, far more than she would have expected from him. "What are you thinking so deeply about?" he asked from behind her.

"Oh, um...just..." A sudden image popped in her mind. "If you don't mind me asking...what's your relationship with the High Priestess?"

His hand paused. "Isis?" he asked and then he returned to brushing out her hair. "There's not much to tell. She's my sister and when I left the priesthood, she took it hard. In spite of my being a criminal, she still sees me as her brother and as family." He lowered the brush and Anzu felt him brush her hair from his neck. She stiffened when she felt his lips on her bare skin. He withdrew and she turned to glare up at him. His lips were curled in a smirk.

"You both are horrible," she snapped.

"Did you expect anything less?" When she continued to glower at him, he laughed and walked away. "I'm going to bathe and change. Don't wander too far."

"_Don't wander too far_," she mimicked, throwing the brush after him. "I'm stuck with a bunch of perverts..." She got to her feet, deciding that checking out Kul Elna would not be such a bad idea, as she hadn't gotten a good look at it since it had still been dark when they arrived.

Once Anzu opened the door and went outside, she was briefly blinded by the bright sunlight. After a while, she was able to open her eyes and looked around her, surprised by her surroundings. It was clear that the village had been built on top of the previous one, but what amazed her more was how normal the village seemed. Anzu glanced down and after tightening the sash around her body, feeling underdressed, she ventured out, making certain to remember where she was going. After some time, she came to the edge of the village near the stables, finding herself staring at an endless supply of sand. When she looked back, there wasn't the comforting feel of the palace looming behind her, the endless, sprawling capitol city, but an average sized village that was close together and nothing but sand all around her. It was unnerving.

Turning away, she made to venture back to the house when she spotted Bakura near the stables with three women that were close to him, smiling flirtatiously. Anzu's lip curled in disgust, revolted by the lewd scene and was about to turn away when she heard a familiar name pop up in the discussion.

"Where's Malik today?" one of the girls asked, pawing at Bakura's chest. "It's been forever since he's been to see any of us..."

"Ah, Malik gets in his moods," Bakura replied lazily.

"Oh, we could get him out of that," another of the girls giggled. "It's not good for him to stress, you know. We could make him relax...I've helped him get _nice_ and relaxed before in _my_ bed."

Feeling more than a bit horrified, Anzu turned away and hurried back through the village. _I don't know why I'm surprised,_ she thought, storming through the village. _It's not as if Bakura has made himself out to be a saint, why would Malik be any better? Better yet, why do I even care? You would think they would have better things to do than go around playing with common village girls._ Anzu slowed her steps at that thought. _But then...they're not common village girls. They're thieves._ As she came back up to the home that Malik and Bakura's that was on the edge of the village, she paused, feeling a chill run down her back. She turned around, thinking that someone might be watching her. There were only a few elderly people sitting around and mothers and their children milling about, ignoring Anzu's presence entirely. Hesitating, Anzu glanced back at the home. She went around the home and saw, in the distance, ruins that hadn't been rebuilt yet. She glanced at the home again and then started forward in the ruins.

_There's something wrong here,_ Anzu thought, pausing in the middle of the ruins and looking around her. With a shiver, she recalled Jounouchi's words: _"Kul Elna is a cursed place...The place has bad spirits that are there."_ She stepped a little further into the ruins and at the back of the ruins, she found steps and crumbled rocks and sand that filled the hole that the stairs led down into. She felt as if she had been plunged into cold water. _Is this why these ruins haven't been built on? _She stepped onto the steps and then a sudden fear gripped her heart and she looked around wildly. The sun was still gleaming high above her, bright and cheerful, and nothing had seemed to change, but there was something here that was watching her. She could feel it. Slowly, she backed away from the steps and turned and ran out of the ruins, back to the main village. She paused behind Malik and Bakura's house and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the outline of figures halt at the edge of the ruins, as if watching her.

"There you are." Anzu spun around in surprise. Malik was standing behind her, his arms crossed over his chest. "What were you looking at?"

"Nothing...," she said, glancing back at the ruins, but there was nothing there. "Just looking around, that's all."

"What, did you lose your fighting spirit already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up," she said irritably, walking past him. "Who would think that the two most wanted thieves could be so obnoxious? Also – " She stopped, causing him to nearly crash into him. She turned around and pointed a finger at him. "I don't want to hear you and Bakura doing..._things_...while I'm with you guys."

"Things?" he repeated blankly. "We were doing things this morning, I didn't see you complaining about us waking you up."

"Not that!" Anzu snapped and then looked around before lowly saying, "I mean...you know...with women." Then, with a burst of temper, "I don't want to have to listen to that disgusting stuff!"

"What a joy it must be to be untouched," he said dryly, "and to call sexual acts 'disgusting stuff.' What are you, six? You can't possibly tell me that you've never had those sorts of desires before."

"No, I haven't," she firmly answered, "and I'm serious. If I hear anything of the kind, I'm storming into the room and embarrassing you both."

"I think you'd just get invited into the fun."

"And then I'd have to start throwing rocks."

"Do that to Bakura and see how far that will get you."

Anzu snorted and then walked ahead of him, asking, "And what about you?"

"I'm not interested in that," he replied plainly. "Bakura can play around as he likes, but I'm concerned with other things at the moment."

It was some time before Bakura returned, as Malik expected. Anzu had been helping him as much as she could, but eventually she had to admit defeat and so she went to start cooking instead, a strange talent for a noblewoman. Malik sat outside while she cooked, feeling ill at ease in his own home. It wasn't so much that he was uncomfortable with Anzu, but more that he didn't particularly want to get too close to her. He had never been one for making any type of relationship and with the exception of Rishid and Bakura, he hadn't. He regretted bringing her with them, he wished they had dumped her at one of the villages along the Nile instead or hid her in the outer city limits. However, as it was, she was here and he knew he would have to get used to it.

Even though he had known it was an innocent question, he had been agitated by Anzu's question about Isis. He still didn't understand his sister's behavior entirely and doubted that he ever would. Isis was closed off and had been as reluctant to form close connections, but she had done better, especially when she became High Priestess. He had never expected her to form a romantic relationship with one of the other priests. Even with her social standing and power, however, she risked it every time he encountered her. _This last time could have seriously cost her,_ he thought, recalling Isis standing calmly to the side when he and Bakura ran away. _She didn't even try to get involved in the fight, but she didn't help either. She just made it easier for us by _not_ helping. _He knew how much of a strain it had to be putting on her and Seto's relationship, but still she persisted, and yet she never reached out to speak to him. _But then, she probably knows better by now,_ he thought.

"What are you doing out here?" Bakura asked, walking up and breaking Malik's thoughts.

"Waiting for you," Malik said, standing up. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Sex relieves stress, Malik." Bakura put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not my fault you can't even have sex with a woman."

"I don't need to," Malik snapped, brushing his hand away. "I get what I want from them and I return the favor. It's enough for me."

Bakura chuckled and then sat where Malik had been a moment ago, spreading his legs out. "The Pharaoh isn't going to be satisfied with last night's incident," he told him, tipping his head back. "Partially because he needs us, but also because Anzu got involved. There's no way we can meet him head on because of how many of his men we killed, but it makes me worry about what he might do now."

"Atemu is too level-minded," Malik said with a shake of his head. "He won't do anything that will put his people at risk. He's concerned about his people before anything else. He lets his High Priests worry about him. He's both stupid and selfless like that."

"Oh, you're back." They turned to see that Anzu had stepped out of the home. "Food's ready. By the way, I have something I need to tell you that I wasn't given a chance to. Come in and get something to eat."

Once they were inside, she dished them up and then sat down after them, waiting for them to finish. Malik, accustomed to this from when he lived in the city, was unbothered, but when half-finished with his meal, Bakura growled, "Why aren't you eating? You're making me nervous. Did you poison it or something?"

"What?" Anzu gave him a blank stare. "It's customary for the woman to wait until after all the men have finished eating before she eats."

"I don't live in the damn city, so eat when I eat!" Bakura exploded, surprising even Malik by his vehemence.

"Alright, alright! Just calm down already!" She got up and got her own meal and after she had finished hers, she said, "Before I came to look for you guys, I overheard my parents talking and it sounded like another village was struck, but my mother said 'plagues,' so it doesn't seem that it was effected the same the other village was."

"Plagues? As in...sickness and crop problems, that kind of thing?" Bakura asked while Malik finished his food.

"I think so," she said. "That's what it sounded like. That's why I'm a little worried. We might not know that Kul Elna has been struck until it's too late."

"We don't know when that happened or where, though, either," Malik spoke up. "It does seem like this thing is moving faster, but how much territory has it covered? We're not even sure if it's only two villages or if it's hit more."

"I also didn't get a chance to get Atemu your message," Anzu added. "I've been on the palace grounds, but he was never there and no one else was, either. They were all too busy. I could have requested an audience, but I felt that would be too strange, especially if my father were there."

"Nothing to do about that now," he said with a shrug and leaned against the table on his forearms. "The only thing we can do is hope that someone else thinks of it, which is unlikely because they don't have the type of source information that we do."

"So what do we do?"

"Right now, there's nothing we _can_ do," Bakura said at last. "Not as far as the city is concerned. They're going to be on high alert for a while, so none of us can get near it. What we _will_ be doing, however, is checking out the nearby villages close to us, see if they've been effected at all. This plague information will come in useful, too. If any of the other villages are suffering from something like that, it will most likely be an indication of something gone wrong."

"Wait, so I'm going to left here by myself?" Anzu asked, looking to them in dismay. "What if someone tries to kill me?"

"Then smack them with a wooden plank," Malik suggested, smirking at her. "You're good at that."

_These damn thieves..._

_TBC_

X

DIS: Thanks as always to those who left a review, I** love** the feedback:) One question I have is, how do you guys feel about Priest Seto's personality? I tried to keep it in line with the Millennium World arc and am curious whether he seems alright or out of character. With that said, please leave a review letting me know how you like it and concrit/ideas are always appreciated! Cheers!


	9. Chapter Nine

_Chapter Nine_

Bakura would never have admitted it to Malik, but he was feeling somewhat uneasy. When they had left that morning, he had felt comfortable enough with the situation and Malik, in his usual way, appeared unbothered. Nonetheless, as they began to approach the first village on their agenda, he wondered if it was such a good idea doing this, recalling their experience when they came upon that shadow creature in that abandoned village. Not for the first time, he was wishing he had a Sennen Item, at least to protect themselves with while doing this. Malik drew his horse to a stop some ways from the village, saying, "It looks normal." Bakura drew up beside him, eyeing it thoughtfully. They could hear the bustle of work and could see a throng of goats being herded into a pen outside the village. The animals were acting normal, the people seemed as usual, and it didn't appear as though anything unusual was happening. "Should we go in and ask around?"

"Might as well," he grunted.

The two went covered their faces and went inside the village and got some oats for their horses and asked the stableman a few questions, but it seemed that there was no sign of sickness or any other problems with the village there. "We haven't been getting as many merchants coming in lately, though," he told them thoughtfully. "We thought it was just because Kul Elna has been getting more active lately, but it's been happening in the villages further from the thieves village, too."

"Near here?" Malik asked.

"Yeah, Anemenuk and Ad-Runin, the villages to the far west of here haven't seen half of their merchants in a while. A lot of them usually come to trade for our lamb's wool, goat products, and I know Anemenuk has a good trade of vases and other pottery. It's strange that they would suddenly stop coming. They've had to trade and trade with our village, but it's not very profitable."

"Which merchants haven't been coming?"

"Ah...let's see...all of the ones from the Nile River Valley, now that I think about it. The ones from the city still come and thank the gods they do otherwise we would be at a real loss of what to do. There's not enough villages in these parts to trade with."

"I'm surprised that a merchant from Kul Elna hasn't tried to trade here..."

"Ah, they have," he laughed nervously, "and we do, but not much. They make some excellent weapons there and some good cloth, but we don't need as much of that as we do other things. Most of the villages here...we don't mind trading with Kul Elna – the man that comes from there doesn't seem like he would come from a thief's village – but some people aren't comfortable, thinking that it's an indirect way of supporting criminals, so..." He shrugged helplessly. "Was there anything else I could help you with travelers?"

"No, but thank you. We'll be on our way now that our horses have been fed."

"Gods be with you, travelers. These are strange times." Malik paused in taking his horse, turning to him in question. The man laughed and waved a hand. "Ignore me...I'm just an old man."

"The elderly are often the most wise," he told him. "They can feel the shift of events in the land better than the young can."

The man chuckled, smiling a bit ruefully. "Yes...sometimes, they can. I've lived in the desert my entire life and only when my body couldn't handle the weather any longer did I settle at this village as a stableman, but I know these sands well." He turned his dark eyes out to the sand dunes, where the wind blew it up into the air, sending tendrils of sand along the desert. "Perhaps it's just my own imagination...but I've felt restless lately, as if something is unsettling the peace of this desert. And with these merchants suddenly disappearing, not turning up...but of course it could be unrelated."

"There's something out there," Malik abruptly said, turning away from him and pulling himself up into the horse. "Even I can feel it. Don't ever doubt your instincts...especially now." The stableman looked startled by the serious tone, but after a moment he bowed his head respectfully.

"Wise advice, sir."

As they left the village, Bakura glanced behind him to see the stableman watching them. He raised a hand in farewell in seeing Bakura turn back and then returned back to the stables. Bakura glanced at Malik, feeling as though that man knew who they were. There was a sense of familiarity about him that made Bakura wonder just how long that man had actually been in the desert. By the time they got to the next village, it was midday and the sun was hanging directly overhead in the sky. Just as in the last, the only thing that the villagers had to report was that their merchants hadn't been coming and verified that it was those from the Nile River Valley.

"These are the villages where the merchants are missing from," Bakura said as they stopped in front of the third village, holding the map out for the Nile River Valley, pointing at the cluster of villages around the Nile.

"Interesting...this would support our theory of one of the High Priest's being a traitor," Malik commented.

"Why is that?"

"This is the most fertile soil," Malik tapped the map, "and is where the majority of the crops come from. If these villages are gone, it will isolate the capitol. It will be harder to get fresh food from the villages that aren't near there. These, in the Lower Kingdom, will still be able to produce crops that won't go bad fast, so they're still a threat. Villages like the ones out here can't produce wheat or anything like that because of the soil. Most of the desert villages only make artisan goods."

"He probably doesn't even intend to attack the city," Bakura said thoughtfully, peering down at the map. "This sounds political...He wants the people to turn against the Pharaoh."

"It sounds like that. Or, that creature won't be able to handle as massive an amount of people as in the capitol."

"Shit. I really don't want to help that damned idiot."

"We don't have a choice. We won't be able to feed ourselves, let alone the people in Kul Elna if those villages are taken in." Malik gathered the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Let's do this village and head back to Kul Elna." After they had spoken with the villagers, who gave them the same information as the last two villages, they turned back to go to Kul Elna, lost in their respective thoughts. There were a variety of options they had from here out, but Bakura wasn't fond of any of them. He didn't feel like being Atemu's personal guard and he certainly wasn't going to risk his life for the fool, but as Malik said, they didn't have a choice in the matter. "I wonder if she cooked anything good for us," Malik spoke up as they drew near to Kul Elna. It was already near sundown.

"Who?" Bakura asked distractedly, getting off his horse and handing it to the stable boy.

"The girl," Malik said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, her. Why don't you go on ahead, I'll meet you at the house."

"Alright, clean yourself up before you get back. You reek whenever you get done with them."

"That's usually a good sign," he returned cheerfully.

_Or bad hygiene,_ Malik thought, leaving Bakura to his adventures and heading home. A few girls saw him on the street and tried to entice him, asking questions about Anzu as usual in the past few days. He had lied and said that she was a distant family member that they brought from the city to keep them from getting too curious. It was safer than saying that she was a servant girl since most of the women in the village were supremely jealous and while they boasted of sleeping with him, not one had been able to entice him to go that far and he doubted they would. Bakura had never questioned him on it and only occasionally teased him about it. _They're not worth my time, _he thought, _and I'm definitely not going to stick myself in a place where Bakura's been, that's for damn sure._

When he got inside the house, he could smell the beginnings of food and found Anzu standing at the fire, a large black pot hanging above it. She was stirring absent-mindedly, as though lost in thought. Once he shut the door, however, she jolted and turned to face him. "I thought something had happened to you guys you were gone so long," she said, giving him a relieved smile. "Where's Bakura?"

"With one of the village girls, I'm sure. Or more, for all we know," Malik said, pulling his robes off so he was standing only in breeches. She stared at him, horrified, and then hastily turned back to the fire. "Never seen a man's chest before?" he teased.

"Would you shut up and put some clothes on?" she snapped in return.

He laughed. "I've had a long day and I've been stuck in those robes. You're just going to have to get used to living with men." He went to the adjoining room and grabbed some wine and cups and returned to the living area, settling at the table and pouring some in the cups. "Here, have some." He held up the cup in offering and she glanced behind her at him. After pulling the ladle from the pot and setting it aside, she took the proffered cup and sipped from it carefully. "Is this the first time you've had wine?"

"I've had it during the Hathor Celebration of Bubastis, but I always just had a drink from my father's cup," she explained.

"Enjoy it while you can then," he said languidly, drinking from his own cup. Anzu hesitated and then sat across from him, drinking deeply. He blinked, staring at her. She set her empty cup down and licked her lips. Noticing his stare, she glared defensively.

"What?"

"Nothing. Refill?"

"Yes, please."

He refilled her cup and the two sat in companionable silence. Malik was still becoming used to Anzu's presence in the home, but it was getting easier after they had a few days for her to settle into her new surroundings. He had taken to sleeping on the floor in his room since it was nearly impossible to sleep with Bakura, who thrashed about like he was being killed in his sleep. Malik still had a few sore spots from being kneed in the back by him from that one night of sleeping in the bed with him. Nonetheless, it was strangely comforting having someone cook for them. He and Bakura had rarely had the energy to cook for themselves and contented themselves with simple things.

As she helped herself to a third cup of wine, he glanced at her flushed face and a corner of his mouth tilted up. "It's really good, actually," she said, taking a drink and then leaning against the table, propping her elbow against the table and leaning her cheek against her hand. "I suppose it's stolen, though."

"Traded, actually," he answered, refilling his own cup. "We don't keep the gold items we steal, they're too conspicuous and useless. This is expensive wine, the type that they serve up at the palace. It was a good barter." Anzu nodded and then looked down at her own cup thoughtfully. Malik drummed his fingers on the table, eyeing her, before asking, "What's on your mind?"

"What?" She looked up at him and then laughed, straightening and pushing a hand through her hair. "Oh...it's nothing. I just...Even though bad things are happening and everything's uncertain, I'm happy. I get to do things on my own, I don't have to listen to my parents nagging at me about marriage...Which isn't to say that I wasn't afraid at first. I thought you two were going to kill me when I first met you, but you're not that bad. You're just perverts."

Malik have a dry smile at that. _Even drunk, that sticks in her mind._

"I wish I could see Jounouchi and Shizuka, though. I should have told them about what I was doing...I usually tell them everything." She paused and finished the rest of her wine, setting the empty cup aside, leaning back on her hands. "I understand how you feel, you know."

"Oh?"

"My entire life, I never wanted to be a noble. I never saw any good in those people, my parents included. My mother was always concerned about etiquette and what the other people in court would think. When I met Jounouchi and Shizuka, I wasn't very old. I never understood what it meant to be different than other people, to look down on those that weren't as wealthy as me or my family. It never made sense. The gods protected all of us equally...Why should I treat them different? They were more kind and sincere than anyone I met in the nobility. My father, as the Pharaoh's scribe, is loyal to the Pharaoh and taught me all I knew about politics, how to read and write, but even though he respected the Pharaoh for his accomplishments, he still has such a dim view of life..." She smiled slightly. "I never felt bad for going behind their back and seeing Jounouchi and Shizuka...And I never felt bad for helping you. I would have fought you if I thought that you were trying to do harm."

"You were taught to hate us, though," he remarked, watching her carefully as he spoke. "What made you sure that we weren't lying?"

Anzu was silent for a long time, staring up at the ceiling. At last, she dropped her eyes back to his and smiled. "Because I know that you're not a bad person, Malik, and you were the one that made the deal with me." He stared at her, surprised by the simplicity of it. She glanced at the pot and then stumbled to her feet, saying, "I better stir this up. It should be done soon." She stirred the pot for a while before returning to where she was sitting, falling a bit unsteadily. She sighed, stretching her arms above her. "It's too bad."

Malik frowned, looking to her. "What is?"

"I could have sold some of my jewelry," she remarked, peering into her empty cup. "Refill?"

"I think you've had enough for one night," he said, pulling the wine from her.

"I'm not drunk!"

"Really?" He sent her a skeptical look and then leaned over the table, catching her hand as she reached for the wine. Her eyes met his steadily and for a moment, they stared at each other without moving. He laughed softly, reaching up and touching her hair, the silky, chocolate strands falling between his fingers. "I don't hear you crying 'pervert' right now."

"You already know you're one," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, not moving. "I don't need to tell you."

"You're entirely unromantic."

She blushed angrily and grabbed a hold of his long hair, yanking at it. He yelped and went crashing onto the table. The stoppered wine went flying off and the cups bounced to the side. Malik still had a hold of Anzu's wrist, so she was in a similarly awkward position, with half her body on the table and their heads had smacked against each other. "Ohh...my head," she muttered, rubbing her forehead with her other hand.

"What in the hell was that for?" he growled, jerking up, bringing her with him so they were leaning over the table, glaring at each other.

"You need to learn to talk to a lady more appropriately!" she snarled back, tugging at her wrist. "You were raised in the city, you should know how to talk to women!"

"I don't need to be raised in the city to know how to talk to women! The lot of you are a waste of time, anyway!"

"_Excuse me?_ If anyone's a waste of time, it's you men!"

"Let me make something clear." In a swift gesture, he suddenly hauled her over the table and into his lap, cutting off her protest as she gaped at him in shock. In another moment he had both of her wrists in his hands, pinning them to her sides. "There's only one thing women are good for and the majority of you aren't even good for that." Anzu's temper flared, cutting through the brief inebriation from a moment before and she made to smack her head into his, but he released her hand and caught her hair, halting her movement. "Don't even think of it."

Eyes smoldering, she seemed to be scheming to hit him, but he pulled her face close to his and closed his lips over hers in an instant. Her body stilled almost instantly and the hand that had been going for his face landed on his shoulder, pushing against it. Malik could have been rough, as angry as he was with her attitude, but instead he found him releasing her hand and tangling his hands in her hair, pressing his mouth against hers more insistently. Her lips softened beneath his, parting in a gasp, and he felt a shiver through her when his tongue swept in, tasting the sweet wine on her tongue. She was unsure and unpracticed, but after a moment's hesitation, she responded tentatively, touching her tongue to his, her hand tightening on his shoulder a bit. When he withdrew, Anzu stared at him dizzily for a minute, her cheeks pink. Before she could say anything, he kissed her again, less intensely, and this time she returned it in earnest, winding her arms around his neck, clinging close to him. He rarely kissed the women in the village and even when he did, he never took much pleasure in it. Perhaps it was because he knew that it wasn't much of a conquest when it came to them, but Anzu's awkward kissing, naïve and innocent, sent his blood roaring to his head and made him feel as though he had conquered all of Egypt. Where Atemu couldn't even get a kiss, he, a mere thief, had been able to get two.

He suddenly paused, drawing away, hearing something outside. Anzu blinked at him confusedly and then scrambled away just as Bakura entered the home, carrying his bags from the horse from earlier. After closing the door, his eyes swept over them, but he merely asked, "Is the food done?"

"Y-yes." Anzu hurriedly got to her feet and went to the adjoining room to get dishes. After she had set them out, she mumbled, "Excuse me for minute," and went outside, shutting the door behind her a bit too firmly. Bakura settled at the table and looked at the door before turning to Malik.

"What happened between you two?" he queried. "Did I interrupt something?"

Malik picked up the wine and set it on the table, calmly answering, "No, she was just arguing with me."

"Hmm...Alright, then."

Outside, Anzu had ventured to the back of the home and was leaning against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared out at the ruins. It was one thing to have Malik kiss her just to annoy her as Bakura did, but this was entirely different matter. He hadn't snickered or teased her. His lips had been gentle and the feel of his fingers in her hair had sent a thrill through her. She clenched her eyes shut, recalling Malik's question the first day she had been there. _I wasn't lying, _she thought. _I've never felt sexual urges of any kind before. It's never seemed important or part of my life. _But, for a moment there, she had lost herself. She had never been more aware of a man before in her life and she had been drowning in his scent, the feel of his thighs beneath her, his rough hands, and his lips...She groaned and raised her hands, slapping herself in the face several times. _Stop it! Forget his lips! He's just a pervert. He probably kisses girls all the time. _She pushed off from the wall and clenched her hands tight. _I won't let myself be seduced by him. I don't care. I don't even like him._

Which, of course, was a lie.

She genuinely thought he was a good person underneath all the perverted comments and rough exterior. She felt that out of all the people she had ever spoken to, he understood her position the best. She never would have taken the same path that he chose, but she knew that he must have been having a rough time to be driven into a life of crime with Bakura. Anzu sighed heavily, crossing her arms. It was a confusing type of interest she had for Malik, much like with Atemu. She knew that she liked Atemu as a person and she also knew that she liked Malik as a person. Certainly, she had never kissed the Pharaoh, but she never gave him the chance and unlike Malik, he was a gentleman.

_It was just a kiss,_ she assured herself. _It's not the end of the world. _She nodded to herself and then straightened and made to move to the other side of the house when she paused. _But I had my arms around his neck. _"Oh, no..." _And Bakura came in and saw me disheveled. _"Oh, _no_." _And Malik didn't have a shirt on. _"_Oh, no._" _What if he thought...? No! We were still fully dressed. He wouldn't..._ She uttered a small scream, biting down on her lip and bending down, clutching at her head. _He's going to think I'm a tramp! What if he really tries to get into bed with me, now? Is there a code amongst thieves where you can't take a woman that your partner has already had? What am I saying?! _ She put a hand out to the wall and hung her head down, clenching her other hand and grinding it into her head.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Anzu jerked in surprise, her head flying up. Bakura was standing there with a bowl and spoon in his hand, watching her interestedly. "What are you doing out here?" she demanded, reaching up to smooth her hair out self-consciously.

"You've been out here for awhile, I thought you ran off or something." He took a bite of stew and then asked, "So, what happened between you and Malik?"

"Why don't you ask him?" she muttered moodily.

"I did, but he lied," Bakura smoothly replied, "and he's being all pissy after I kept bugging him about it and started yelling shit about women, so I decided I'd come ask you instead."

Anzu turned and stared at him, dumbfounded at the blunt honesty. He continued to eat his stew, as if he hadn't done anything extraordinary. "Well, you're wasting your time," she said with a huff. "I've got nothing to say."

"That's not suspicious or anything."

"Nothing happened!"

"That's not what he said."

"What did he say?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"You damn men!" Anzu burst angrily, storming past him. "It doesn't take that much of an effort to be straightforward, you know!"

"Ugh, a rant about men now?" Bakura muttered to himself and then scooped the last bit of stew from his bowl.

X

Atemu heard a knock on his doors and turned from the balcony opening that he had been standing near. He had been preparing to sleep and was dressed only in a tunic bottom, bare chested and without jewelry, excepting the Sennen Puzzle. The doors opened and Seto came in, shutting the doors behind him. With the exception of a few bruises along his jaw, it was hard to tell that he had been injured with his clothing on. He had been unusually absent he past days, taking the job of making rounds through the outer city limits. "I was surprised by this," Atemu said, holding up the small roll of parchment that he'd been holding onto. "Is there a reason you wanted to meet so late?"

"This isn't an easy meeting for me," Seto said after a long pause, appearing tense, "and in ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't go to you to talk about this."

Atemu eyed him thoughtfully and then turned from him, looking back up at the moon that was facing him. Seto had always been fairly closed off about his emotions and while they had never regarded each other as close friends, there was a mutual understanding of respect for each other and they both knew they could depend upon each other. When Atemu had noticed a relationship developing between Seto and Isis, he never brought it up, not wanting to make Seto defensive and pull away from Isis, who was just as emotional distant. Nonetheless, in spite of how Seto acted, he knew that he cared deeply for Isis now and his reactions towards Malik were out of bitterness for her, rather than his own personal feelings about thieves. "Did something happen between you and Isis?" Atemu asked in a carefully casual tone.

"...You knew already?"

"You and Mahado are both so inept when it comes to your own feelings," he chuckled, "that you don't realize how obvious you are to an old friend." Seto said nothing to this. "That incident with Malik was unwarranted and reckless, especially for you, but I knew the reasons, so I gave you a pass, even though Mahado and Akhenaden felt that I should have been less kind."

Seto snorted. "Even my own father...What a joke. If he had something to say, he should have said so to my face."

"But he wouldn't," Atemu said, turning back to face him. "I told you that in confidence. He still thinks you don't know that you're his son. He wouldn't have reached out to you about that. As it is...neither of them know about your connection to Isis, so any advice Akhenaden _would_ have to give would be useless, anyway." He sighed heavily. "I understand why you feel as strong of a hate for Malik as you do...he's hurt Isis badly, but you have to realize that she still loves him. She couldn't have raised a hand to him and I've accepted that and understand that. If you had killed him, you would have only hurt her worse."

"I'm aware," he said coolly and made to move to stand next to Atemu, crossing his arms over his chest, "but what am I going to do with this situation? She refuses to talk to me, so I've kept my distance."

"I don't think you came here purely to discuss that, though, did you?"

"No. I want to make amends. My behavior was unacceptable and getting rid of Malik will get me nowhere with her. Bakura and Malik won't come back after being attacked like that and if they do, it won't be for some time because of how the guards are acting. We'll have to go to them."

"I thought you were against seeking them out for help?"

"Don't misunderstand me, Atemu," he said, glancing at him through the corner of his eye. "My views haven't changed, but this is the only way that I can salvage what I have with her. If I have to put my pride and logic aside, then that's what I'll do."

"Then what would your suggestion be?"

"There's one person in this city besides Isis that is still loyal to Malik. If I go alone, then I won't accomplish anything. If you come with me, he might be more willing to talk."

Atemu stared at him for a long time and then inclined his head. "Let me get dressed."

The two left the palace, with the Pharaoh disguised under robes. The guards didn't question it, seeing that he was with the High Priest Seto. They took Seto's chariot down to the gates and Atemu looked around curiously. He typically only left the palace grounds for festivals or other special occasions, rarely leaving the palace. Seto stopped at the gate where a bald sentry with tattoos along the side of his face was standing, his expression politely blank. Atemu pulled the top of his robes down as he stepped down, following Seto towards the gate. The guard's eyes flickered to Seto warily, but he bowed low, murmuring, "Live forever, Pharaoh."

"Rise," Seto ordered and waited until the guard straightened. "This is Rishid," he told Atemu. "He was a servant of the Ishtar household until Malik left. He asked Isis to find him other service since he was Malik's personal servant."

"I see..." Rishid kept his face politely blank, but he could sense a beginning tension in the man. "How have you found your work as a gate sentry, Rishid?" Atemu queried. Rishid stared at him for a long time and then inclined his head.

"It has been an honor to find such service after leaving the Ishtar household."

"Would you mind telling me a bit about your experiences serving the Ishtars?"

There was a pause and then he said, "Forgive me, Pharaoh, for correcting you. I never served the Ishtars, I only served Master Malik. He was under my care since he was a young child."

"My mistake," Atemu said. "As for my question...?"

"It was the same as in any other household," Rishid said in a respectful, but neutral tone. Atemu noticed his light eyes cloud over with some inner thought. "I slept in the same chamber as Master Malik and was ignored by the rest of the family unless he misbehaved."

"And...those tattoos? Were those a requirement of your service or did you receive those before you came to the Ishtar household?"

"No...These are..." He hesitated and briefly lost his composure, appearing lost and a bit sad. "In the Ishtar family, the men receive initiation tattoos when they join the priesthood. Master Malik was only five...he screamed and cried the entire time. It was...unbearable. Afterward, his back was bleeding and he was in great pain. These tattoos are a symbol of eternal servitude to Master Malik. I vowed to protect him from such pain and underwent similar pain to show my loyalty to him. He cried for me when he saw my face." He paused. "I know why you came here, Pharaoh, and I cannot give you any information on Master Malik. It would be to break my vow to him. This man you brought with you means nothing but harm to him. If this means to give up my life, I will do so, if only to keep him safe."

"There will be no need for that," Atemu said, raising his hands in a reassuring gesture. "Seto came to me to make amends for what he has done to Malik in the past. I never wanted Malik or Bakura's lives to be taken during this most recent event. I need their help and...I'm worried about a girl they've taken with them..." Seto glanced sharply at him, but Atemu ignored him. Rishid had seemed on guard while he spoke, but suddenly stirred at the mention of Anzu, his mouth turning into a troubled frown. "We need help navigating the deserts...there have been things happening out there that we're not certain of and no one here has as much knowledge as they do."

Rishid gazed at Atemu for a long time and he knew that he was trying to discern his intentions. The man gave a long sigh, his shoulders slumping a bit as he turned his eyes to the ground. "I have only one request, Pharaoh. I will give you the location of Master Malik and Bakura if you allow me to accompany you."

"That's out of the question – " Seto began, but Atemu held up a hand, halting his words.

"I'll grant you that request," Atemu said, "because I know that you only have Malik's interests in mind."

"Very well...Master Malik would not like for Isis to see him, either, and might not cooperate if she's there." Atemu nodded, accepting the advice. "They are living in Kul Elna."

"Kul Elna?" Seto repeated, frowning. "That village was destroyed before Atemu's reign even began."

"The Thief Lord built it back up," Rishid explained. "There are few that go there because they believe it to be cursed."

"So it would be the perfect place to hide themselves..."

"We should prepare ourselves to leave immediately," Atemu said. "Kul Elna isn't far from here and although I don't like the idea of leaving the capitol like this, I feel it might be the best option." Seto nodded grimly.

"Pharaoh...," Rishid hesitantly said as they made to move back to the chariot. Atemu turned, a puzzled look on his face. "About the girl..."

"About...Anzu?"

"Yes..."

"What is it?" Atemu immediately returned to him and could tell that he had startled Rishid by his sudden vehemence.

"Forgive me...but...I would let her out into the outer city at night. She has friends there, you see. I saw them in the market before and when she came to the gate, begging me to let her out because she wanted to see her friends; I did, even though she was young and not allowed out without any escort. I've been letting her out for several years...I was the one that suggested she dress as a beggar because going in her noble attire would bring too much attention to her while she was out there and I was worried she would be kidnapped or killed." He turned a guilty look to Atemu's stunned face. "I don't know how she got mixed up with Master Malik and the Thief Lord, but she's a good girl and if Master Malik took her with him, it can't have been for any devious reasons."

Atemu was at a loss of what to say and Seto, watching him, spoke up, "Do you know who her friends were?"

"Only by sight," Rishid answered, shaking his head, "and that was many years ago."

"Thank you," Atemu said at last. "I appreciate the information. We'll be back with a replacement for you after we've made some preparations."

Once they were back in the chariot, heading back to the palace, Seto remarked, "It seems you've been hiding things as well, Atemu."

_TBC_

X

DIS: I haven't been on the webs for awhile except on Canvas to do my bloody daily quizzes for my IO class, so I've been forgetting to post on here. I've also been pouring my nights after class into replaying Skyrim...my guilty pleasure. In any case, thanks to those who reviewed! The feedback helps a ton. Hopefully this chapter (and following chapters) will redeem Seto so he's not made out to be such a jerk. Please leave a review on your way out! Cheers!


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